Armageddon: A Life Without Time
by ASiriusWriter01
Summary: In a world where the wind doesn't blow, the sun never shines, and morning never comes, all one can do is survive. When a young girl just wants to have a family again, what will she do to accomplish this goal? As she goes on in her quest, will she find a higher calling in life? There is no telling what twists and turns a life can go through in a paralyzed world. I don't own pokemon.
1. Prologue

"Mommy! Don't go! Please!" I beg the retreating figure.

Mommy paused and let me catch up to her before speaking, "Oh Aubrey, you know I have to go. I really wish that I could stay, but I'm doing this to make sure you're safe. Dusknoir can't know about you, and I've been selfish by not leaving sooner. Please don't make it harder for us Aubrey. I love you so much sweetie."

"Mommy, you don't need to leave to keep me safe. I want you to stay with me! That big meanie ghost Dusknoir can't hurt us with Luca and Jamie around! Their so strong, and they'll protect us! Please don't go!" I sob desperately.

Mommy pried my six year old form off of her to look me in the eye, "Sweetie, Luca can protect you a lot easier without me because he only needs to worry about you. Plus, Dusknoir is more likely to leave you alone if I'm not here. He is after me because I want to make timw start up again, so the world can be like those books that I read to you. When I find out how to do that, I promise that I'll come find you." She gestured to the meganium beside her, "Jamie is going to be with me the entire time, so you never have to worry about me. Now smile that beautiful smile that I love so much."

My attempt at a smile most likely turned out to be a grimace, but nevertheless I replied as cheerfully as I could,"O-okay, Mommy, b-but you better come back! Luca and I will hunt you and Jamie down if you don't! I love you…"

Mommy hugged me tightly before sighing and letting go. She shared a look with Luca, and the Lucario gave a small nod. She gave me a sad smile as she walked away. I whimpered and moved to follow her, but Luca had me in his grasp before I could even take a step. All I could do was watch my own mother leave me for an indefinite amount of time. When she and Jamie were out of finally out of sight, I collapsed and cried into Luca's neck.

I didn't know it at the time, but that one moment in my childhood would ultimately lead me to make a drastic decision that would decide the fate of everyone in the world.

**AN: If you liked it, review. If you hated it, review. If you flame me, I'll laugh.**


	2. Chapter 1

I honestly can't remember exactly how long it's been since Mommy left us. Then again, I can hardly even tell the difference between night and day. I'm lucky that Luca keeps track of my age; I'd never be able to keep track of it if he didn't. Then again, it's nearly impossible to keep track of time in a world completely void of it. Being able to keep track of what would be years if time was moving is an impressive feat that Luca is rather proud of. According to him, I'm almost thirteen. I wish that I could say that those years have been uneventful, but running for my life is considered exciting to most people. My mother left to keep me out of life threatening situations, but she failed in that respect. Dusknoir may be too busy to track Luca and me down himself, but his minions definitely aren't, and I have several scars from previous run ins with the sableye to prove it.

I have no idea why the Sableye are after us, but I know that Luca does. He refused to tell me because he doesn't think that I can handle it. Sometimes I think that Luca tries to shield me a little too much; he tries to keep the harshness of the world hidden. It's hard to do that when death lurks around every corner; most pokemon are savages and messy killers. Just yesterday I saw a ledyba with its entrails strewn around its dead body. Luca tried to shield my eyes, but it was too late.

I shivered as I remembered the ghastly sight. I've seen many gruesome sights as I traveled with Luca, but this one was one of the saddest. Anyone could tell that the ledyba was just a baby. Who could live knowing that they killed an innocent baby?! Why doesn't anyone stop these monsters? I felt tears stream down my cheeks, but I couldn't bring myself to wipe them away.

"Aubrey? Why are you crying?" Luca's soothing voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Don't say that it's nothing. I can tell when you're lying."

I saw Luca sit down to look me in the eye as I answered, "Why?"

Luca looked taken aback as he answered, "Aubrey..."

"Why do we live in this hellhole where it's okay to be a murderer for kicks and giggles? That baby ledyba wasn't killed for food; it was killed for sport! Why is that acceptable? Did we do something so extremely terrible that this was the only suitable punishment that Arceus could think of? Tell me Luca! God damn it, tell me why we are forced to live in an uncivilized world where anarchy is the best we can hope for, and why we can't change it!" I ranted.

Luca took me into his arms as I began to sob. Luca isn't one to express himself with words too often if he doesn't have to; his actions always tell me what he really wants to say. Unfortunately, the hug told me something that neither of us ever really wants to say out loud. The only being alive that can say what happened is Dialga, and he executes anyone who attempts to find out what happened to the world. My mom is the only person crazy enough to try to reverse it if she is in fact still alive. We really are unable to do anything; it would break his promise to Mom. Luca would sooner die than break that promise even if Mom is already dead. I hope to Arceus that she has managed to stay alive. Almost as if sensing my thoughts, Luca held me tighter.

We stayed like that for a while, but Luca finally broke the silence to say, "I am going to excuse you from training today, but I expect you to work twice as hard tomorrow."

I groaned. Leave it to Luca to break a tender moment by bringing up training; he is almost always training. If I had a pokedex, it would probably measure him at around level seventy. The only reason I wouldn't place him higher than that is because he trains me too, and I'm not a very good student when it comes to what he attempts to teach me. The main technique that he is trying to get me to master is aura, and I can't even manifest my aura into a tiny ball even though he's been training me since Mom left. In my opinion, aura is useful, but only if it can be used. Since I don't know how to use it, I'm a sitting duck, and I hate not being able to do anything. My only protection besides Luca is an old wooden baseball bat that we found too long ago, and even that can only go so far in a fight. All that time that he has invested in aura is just a waste in my opinion. I want to learn how to really fight, and Luca can't say that I'm too young anymore! I'm almost thirteen; that has to count for something. I want to be able to protect myself, and Luca is the only pokemon who can teach me how. Today might just be the day that I can convince him to do this since my crying already softened him up.

"Actually Luca, I was looking forward to training today," I said slowly.

He looked interested, "Oh really? You never have been very eager to train. If you really want to, we can work on your grasp of aura today."

I laughed nervously, "Actually Luca, I was hoping to try hand-to-hand combat today." I could already see the protest in Luca's eyes, but I pressed on. "I can't fight very well Luca, and you know it. I'm not even proficient at aura yet, so I have no real way to defend myself. What if the sableye come when you are of gathering food? I won't have a fighting chance. Please Luca, I just want to try." I make sure to wipe my eyes at the end to remind him that not too long ago I was crying.

Luca seemed to mull this over a bit, but I figured that he was just trying to avoid my tear-streaked face. Eventually, he said, "I'm only going to do this today. I expect you to practice on your own time, okay?"

My only response was to get up and gesture to the entry of our makeshift shelter. Understanding the unspoken message, Luca got up and led me outside. The rest of the day was spent teaching how to defend myself in case the worst happened to Luca. I found that a huge weight had been lifted off of my chest after the rigorous workout, and I think that it helped me in more ways than one. Now I have to practice physical fighting on my own because Luca won't keep up the lessons, but maybe it won't be too bad. I'll just need some time to myself to train, and there is plenty of time for that. Besides, I won't need to actually be able to fight on my own any time soon, right?

A/N: You know the drill. Review and tell me what you think. This is all intro stuff, but expect some excitement in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 2

"Wake up!" a familiar gruff voice hissed in my ear.

"Luca? What's the matter?" I whispered confusedly. "Are the sableye near?"

He shook his head, "Worse. We need to leave now."

I nod alertly. There are very few pokemon worse than the sableye, and I don't want them within a hundred miles of Luca and me. Gathering the meager amount of items that I own took no time at all, and Luca and I were on the road in no time. Because this mystery pokemon didn't seem to be moving in any real pattern, Luca was often taking sharp turns when I least expected it. After walking for who knows how long (kind of hard to tell with no time), Luca got a worried look on his face. Without a warning, he swept me up in his arms and began sprinting. Even though I kept my composure on the outside, I was panicking on the inside, and tears threatened to leave my eyes. Luca hasn't had to carry me away since we encountered Dusknoir when I was eight. Please don't let the threat be Dusknoir. Please...

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" a shrill scream pierced the night.

The dam behind my eyes finally broke, and it was all I could do to not break down sobbing. We couldn't afford to be heard, so I stifled them as best I could. I held on tightly to Luca's neck and prayed silently to Arceus for our and the screaming pokemon's safety. A bitter voice in my head told me that if Arceus was real that he would not have let the planet's paralysis happen, but I forcefully shoved that thought out of my head. I can gripe after we get out alive.

"Moooooooooooooooooommmmmmmm!" a voice wailed forlornly.

I cringe. Another pokemon is going to end up orphaned, and there wasn't a thing that I could do to help. Well, maybe I can't help directly, but Luca definitely can. I glare up at Luca, conveying my displeasure at leaving the poor pokemon alone when it's mother just died. Luca stared coldly at me; he obviously thought that I was an idiot for being concerned for the unknown pokemon. After a silent battle of glares, I finally backed down. Luca is always hard to beat in those types of contests, and he was more concerned for us at this point.

The next scream that I heard was so full of grief and anger that my heart broke just a little more than it already was. I stifled my sobs as best as I could by burying my face into Luca's neck. My whole body shook with the force of my sobs, and because of that, I could barely feel Luca sigh before racing towards the sounds of fighting. I look up at Luca hopefully through my tears, and I barely make out him nodding. I smile my thanks at him as he races through the woods.

The sight that we stumble upon is one that I don't think that I could ever forget, and for once, it wasn't because of how gruesome it was. A sceptile lay on the ground; the only sign that it was alive was its occasional twitching. A grovyle was standing over it protectively, but it was looking worse for the wear. The grovyle was facing a pokemon that has haunted my nightmares since I was eight years old. Dusknoir. Dusknoir was charging up an attack from the mouth on his stomach, and it looked extremely powerful. There was no doubt in my mind that the ghost pokemon was aiming to kill the two pokemon because he just didn't care if he destroyed families. After all, my only family is Luca; Dusknoir took both of my parents away from me. I couldn't let him do that to someone else, so I did something very stupid. I wriggled out of Luca's grip, grabbed a rock, and I threw it as hard as I could at Dusknoir. It hit him in the head, and he must have lost his focus because he stopped charging up the insanely strong attack.

"Who threw that! Reveal yourself!" He bellowed menacingly.

As Luca dragged me from our hiding place, I saw the grovyle hit the unsuspecting ghost with a well placed leaf blade. Dusknoir began to yell something, but he stopped himself as a cruel smirk crept onto his er-face. He fired a quick shadow ball at the prone sceptile before fleeing. The grovyle shouted a few curses at his retreating form before rushing to the sceptile.

"Mom? Mom! Hold tight, I'll get some berries to heal you. You aren't leaving me!" the grovyle muttered as he rummaged through a bag at the base of a nearby tree.

My hand immediately flew to the small pouch of berries that I kept in my bag. Luca swiped my bag, his glare telling me that we've done enough for these pokemon. I glared back and stubbornly took my bag out of his paws before grabbing several of my sitrus berries and tossing them over to the grovyle.

The grovyle eyed the berries suspiciously, and for a moment I was worried that he wouldn't give them to his mom. I didn't need to worry because after a few moments he finally fed them to her. When he was secure in the fact that his mom wouldn't die right then and there, he glanced up at the bush Luca and I were hiding behind. His mom also managed to lift her head to look up in our direction. Luca and I huddled together and stayed as still as we possibly could. Just because we(well I) helped them doesn't mean that we want to be seen. Humans aren't exactly the most common creatures in the world, and most pokemon don't react well to seeing them. The grovyle slowly got up and started walking towards us.

"Hello?" the grovyle called out cautiously. "Please come out, I just want to thank for helping me and my mom. If you hadn't been here…"

He wouldn't like us so much if he knew I was a human. I felt so stupid for putting myself in this situation; most pokemon that see us attack on sight for some reason. Luca seemed to decide that we weren't doing any good with hiding, so he picked me up and ran from our hiding place. The grovyle immediately took off after us while the sceptile rested. Luca is an extremely fast pokemon; he has to be to be on the run. However, even Luca couldn't outrun a grovyle in a forest, and we were intercepted before long.

The grovyle stared wide-eyed at my curled up form in Luca's arms, "A human? An actual human?"

AN: You know the drill. Please review.

Aubrey: The more reviews she gets, the more weapons I get:D


	4. Chapter 3

Luca growled as he let me down gently while maintaining eye contact with the wood gecko pokemon. He immediately took up a defensive position in front of me. The grovyle eyed Luca warily as he prepared what looked like a leaf blade. The grovyle relentlessly attacked Luca, and Luca took every hit without complaint. I guess his typing help with that, but those blows still looked painful. He stared at the grass type calculatingly before letting loose a barrage if aura spheres.

"Arceus!" the gecko pokemon growled out before moving forward to fight Luca in close quarters.

The two went at each other relentlessly. I watched as they both doled and took attacks like nothing. Finally, the grovyle smirked and used dig. The appendages on Luca's head lifted as he tried to sense the other pokemon's aura, and suddenly his eyes widened. Before he could even utter a sound, the grovyle resurfaced and grabbed me. The grovyle hopped up on a tree branch and took off. He leaped from tree to tree with ease. I could see that Luca was having a hard time keeping up as he kept to the ground.

"Luca!" I shout in hopes that he would be able to follow the sound of my voice. I repeated his name over and over as I, for the second time today, prayed to Arceus. I don't want to be separated from my brother let alone kidnapped by a random pokemon that will probably hurt me!

Finally, we arrived at the area that the sceptile was resting. Her eyes widened at the sight of me, and she immediately sat up straighter. The second that grovyle set me down, I did what Luca always told me to do if someone managed to kidnap me.

I ran like hell shouting, "LUCA! LUCA!"

"Not so fast!" the Grovyle muttered as he grabbed me and yanked me back to where the sceptile sat.

The sceptile eyed him critically, "Grovyle, did you take her without her permission? You know what I think of that."

Grovyle grumbled, "But she's a _human!_"

"And she is a living being who deserves to be respected! Honestly, Grovyle, learn to think of others' feelings!" the sceptile scolded him lightly before turning to me. "I'm so sorry about my son, honey. He's very rash at times, and he doesn't really think about others when he has a goal in mind. I _thought _I taught him manners, but it seems as if I failed in that respect. You can call me Vera, and you've met Grovyle. Might I ask what your name is?"

I stared at her warily; Luca had never really taught me much in the way of manners because I never needed them. What am I supposed to do in this situation? Should I really give her my name? Do I shake her hand? Do I bow? These questions swirled around my mind, and I really didn't have an answer.

Finally, I reluctantly answered, "The name is Aubrey. Can I go back to my big brother any time soon? He is probably pissed off right now."

Grovyle sneered, "That Lucario is your brother?"

"What's your problem? Are you sickened by the fact that I have a big brother who loves me even though we aren't related by blood? Oh yeah, that's _so _terrible and disgusting!" I shot back.

"Are you sure you two aren't related by blood? I wonder what type of pokemon lover your mother is," Grovyle growled back.

"What! No you asshole! How dare you speak of my mother like that! She was ten times better than you will ever be no matter how long you live!" I shrieked before attempting to lunge at him.

Vera intervened, "Grovyle be nice to our guest, and do not say things like that! I am so, so sorry, Aubrey. Aubrey, I promise that we will help you find your brother after you answer a few questions for me."

I narrowed my eyes, "And if I deem the question too personal or inappropriate? Do I still answer it?"

"I will respect your decision, but I would prefer that you answer as many as you can truthfully," Vera said earnestly.

I eyed her son suspiciously, but I reluctantly agreed, "Fine."

"Okay, just say yes or no," Vera responded gratefully. "Have you ever had any dizzy spells?"

"Yes."

"Have you seen anything following these dizzy spells?"

I paused for a moment. Those visions were private, and even Luca doesn't pry into them. Nevertheless, I want to go back to Luca as soon as I could. I reluctantly answer, "Sometimes."

"Do you travel with someone that you trust?"

Of course I trust my brother! "Yes."

"Have you ever seen a large ghost pokemon with an antenna on its head?"

That, I am not too comfortable giving too many details about, so I said, "When it attacked you."

"You threw the rock?"

"Yup," that's how your dick of a son found me.

"I can't thank you enough for that, Aubrey. Now, I just need you to touch this crystal."

I stared blankly at the hunk of rock in Vera's hand carefully. The crystal looked perfectly innocent, and Vera had been nothing but nice to me this entire time. On the other hand, I'm not exactly here of my volition. There's no telling what this crystal would do to me if I made contact with it.

Better safe than sorry, "No."

Grovyle exploded, "What? This is the easiest part! You can't touch an Arceus-damned rock? What. The. HELL, BITCH!"

I glared at him as I retorted sarcastically, "Oh sure, why don't I touch the rock? It's not like we aren't best friends, and I totally trust you with my life! It's not like you abducted me from my family! Oh, no! That crystal is totally safe, and there is no chance at all of it doing something to me when I touch it." I turned to Vera with an apologetic look on my face. "You understand right? I just don't feel safe doing this."

Just then, Luca's form appeared from behind a nearby tree. When he saw that I was unharmed, he swept me up into his arms and held me tightly. I hugged him back as hard as I could while carefully avoiding the spike in his chest. I've seen him fight with that thing, and it is lethal. He set me down and immediately checked me for any injuries; thankfully, there wasn't anything major.

Luca immediately turned to Vera and Grovyle. His fierce glare showed his murderous intent, and I had to hold him back. Vera doesn't deserve to die just because her son is an asshole.

"Luca it's not worth it. Let's just go. We didn't save them just to kill them," I murmur.

Luca looked at me disbelievingly, but I was already turning to Vera to say my farewells. Then, I accidentally brushed my arm against the crystal that Vera had held out to me before.

My vision became hazy, and there was two of everything. Dizziness...that's what I'm feeling. I reach out to Luca for balance, but I must've reached for the wrong one because I started falling. I could hear Luca frantically asking me what's wrong, but I couldn't hear him well. It's like I was underwater. My vision went black before I even hit the ground.

Aubrey: Hey! You got your review, so where are my weapons?!

ASirusWriter: Um…let's see….Oh, you have to wait a few chapters. Luckily, you still have your baseball bat :)

Aubrey:*Shrieks wordlessly before attacking the defenseless author*

Grovyle:*Sigh* *reads from paper*: ASiriusWriter wants to thank reshiramgirl88 for reviewing. That's who this chapter is dedicated to...Yada yada yada. Should she change her name to something easier to type…Yada yada yada…Read and review.*Throws paper away and walks away from the fighting author and character*


	5. Chapter 4

A white line sliced through the black nothingness. The white encompassed my vision, and next thing I knew, I was in an unfamiliar cave. A blue, fairy-like pokemon with two tails and a blue cone on its head was talking to a large pokemon. The large pokemon looked like what Dialga is rumored to look like, but it looks nothing like what I have always pictured in my head when I imagined the primal pokemon. The marks that were supposed to be red are actually white, and he looks much less fearsome. He looks more like the deity that he is supposed to be, and it made me feel a bit more at ease to be in the presence of the calm deity rather than the raging monster whose name is fearfully whispered.

"Azelf," his rumbling voice thundered, "I am entrusting you with this time gear; you must protect it with your life. There would be dire consequences if this time gear were to be taken from its altar, and you would eventually die if it were removed from its rightful place. Your life will be tied to the well being of the area that the time gear protects, and when time stops in that area, it will draw upon your own health in order to keep itself alive. This is why I stress that the moment the time gear is stolen, you must warn your brother and sister and bring the other time gears to Temporal Tower. Those time gears will draw upon the power of Temporal Tower, and they will be well protected. Then, your siblings will search for the missing time gear. Afterwards, we will discuss the plan for the time gears. Do you accept all of these responsibilities? Now is the time to back out if you believe this to be too much to handle."

Azelf nodded gravely, "I've been aware of this since my birth Dialga. I am well prepared for my task, and I shall protect the time gear with my own body if the need arises. Do not insult me by suggesting that I am unable to perform my duty, Dialga."

Dialga chuckled halfheartedly, "I am sorry for insulting you, Azelf, but you know that it is simply precautionary. There is no doubt in my mind that you and your siblings will take on this task with admirable results. However, Arceus would have me beheaded if he believed that I didn't give you once last chance to opt out."

Azelf nodded, "Ahhh, I see. Arceus is quite adamant that we all have freedom. Well, my answer will never change."

"Then, so mote it be, my friend. I must take my leave for now, but I shall be back in a year to see how you have taken to your duty. Farewell for now, Azelf."

"Farewell Dialga. Have a safe trip to the Hidden Land, and please take care of yourself. You tend to forget to do that in between maintaining the timeline and collaborating with Palkia, and even now, you look as though you haven't slept in ages. That is the main reason that the time gears have been moved to their new locations instead of being stationed at Temporal Tower. Next year, I expect you to be in a better state than you are in now. You have no need to worry and stress about this time gear, and that should contribute to your health. I admire the sheer amount of willpower that you must have in order to pull off the great feats that you tend to do on a daily basis, but it is ridiculous," ordered Azelf.

Dialga let out a throaty chuckle before leaving Azelf to get accommodated with his new home.

My vision went black again for a moment. When I awoke, I woke to the sound of bickering.

"She has the dimensional scream ability! She can save us all!" Vera exclaimed.

"She is hardly a teenager! You can't expect her to take on such a task! She isn't even aware of her ability!" Luca growled.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs on one!" Vera spat out.

"You selfish bitch! This could very well ruin her entire life, and you are just going to push her into it!" Luca advanced on her menacingly.

"Have you ever seen the sun or felt a breeze? They are ingrained in grass types' memories when we are born, and life is torture in this motionless world knowing that it was once such a better place!" Vera cried out. "Don't you want this world to be a better place?"

"I am not going to let her sacrifice herself for an impossible cause like her mother. I am not making the same mistake twice."

My eyes snapped open at that. Dreadful thoughts of my mother dying crossed my mind, but I pushed them away. My mother promised to come back, and there was no doubt in my mind that she would. If things got too difficult for her, she would've just come back, right?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts before looking up at the bickering duo. They were still going at it; their words were getting nastier by the second. I noisily cleared my throat to get their attention. When they turned to me, their facial expressions really embodied the saying "deerling caught in headlights."

I stared them down. They were discussing my future without me, and I think that I am an important part of my future. Luca looked away from my accusing eyes for a moment, but Vera and I stared at each other for several minutes before I got up.

"What did you mean when you said 'she could save us all?"

"It's nothing you should worry about," Luca said quickly.

Vera gave me a better answer, "I believe that you have an ability that can help reverse the planet's paralysis. It's called the dimensional scream, and it gives you visions when you touch certain items."

My eyes widened. I could reverse the planet's paralysis? My mom and Jamie could come home if I did that; we'd be a happy family again. We would never have to worry about losing each other because we would always be with each other. I turned my awestruck eyes to Vera. She is giving me a chance to get my mother back; how can I say no?

"What do I need to do?" I asked determinedly.

Luca shot me an incredulous look before promptly sweeping me up into his arms and making a break for it. For the second time that day, I found myself being pursued by Grovyle, and he looked particularly annoyed this time. Luca ran faster than I had ever seen him run as if he got an adrenaline rush times two. This time, Grovyle couldn't keep up, and he soon halted in his pursuit.

Luca ran for miles while I just contemplated what I had learned that morning. Questions buzzed around my head like angry beedrill. Didn't Luca realize that we could get Mom and Jamie back if I did this? What does the Dimensional Scream ability do exactly? How could I save anything when I couldn't even protect myself? What does wind feel like? Is the Sun prettier in real life? Why is the world paralyzed?

I quietly resolved to question Luca the moment he stopped to rest.

Me:(Forcibly pulls Grovyle over) Say it.

Grovyle: No

Me: Say it or I'll get Dusknoir!

Grovyle: No

Me: Fine. AUBREY! GET THE CHAINSAW!

Grovyle: N-Wait what?

Me: I can replace you if I need to, so I told Aubrey that she can test her new chainsaw on you if you are difficult about this.

Grovyle: (Glares as chainsaw noise gets closer) Fine. Reshiramgirl88, I am sorry for being a "jerk" by telling you to change your name last week. It was "uncalled for." There, I read the damn apology. Call off your attack dog.

Me: (Cheer) I told you that we didn't need an actual chainsaw to get him to apologize! You can quit playing the CD!

Aubrey: You still could've given me the chainsaw…

Grovyle: (Glares) It was a trick?

Me: Yup :D

Grovyle: (Attacks author viciously)

Aubrey: (Sweatdrops) Anyway, thank you all for your reviews. Reshiramgirl88, Dragenrger, you guys rock! I'd stick around and chat, but I need to save the authoress so that she can write the next chapter. See ya!


	6. Chapter 5

I sigh lightly as I stare at Luca's sleeping form. He completely exhausted himself by running for so long. I didn't dare try to speak to him while he ran. He was obviously thinking, and he likes the quiet when he thinks. I can't even pretend to sleep with everything that has happened today on my mind. Deciding that a walk would help clear my mind, I pen a quick note to Luca telling him where I am on a rock, and I walk out of the cave serving as our shelter. Then, I decide to take my baseball bat with me for protection before I leave, so I quickly duck back inside the cave to retrieve it. It's better to be safe than sorry.

The silence doesn't bother me; for as long as I can remember, it's always been quiet outside. Luca says that pokemon keep quiet in the forests and caves so that they can hear if any intruders come by, but that can be their downfall. The silence that pokemon strive to perfect is always broken when they try to attack.

I scout the area near the cave carefully, and I don't hear anything for a while. When I'm sure that the coast is clear, I let my thoughts take the forefront of my mind. Luca says that he doesn't want to lose me, but that's a risk we have to take if we want Mom back.

_Snap!_

I whirled around to face the source of the noise before regaining my senses and high tailing it out of there. One of the most important lessons that Luca ever taught me was to run first instead of staying and fighting. I'll live longer that way. I have no idea what is chasing me, but I'm suddenly very glad that I chose to stick close to the cave. I'm almost at the cave; I can make it! Just as I'm about to turn the corner, I'm suddenly tackled to the floor by my pursuer. I blindly flail about while calling Luca's name. I spot my baseball bat lying within my reach, and I decide to take a risk. My hand quickly grabs the handle, and I hit my pursuer as hard as I can. I manage to push them off of my back. I turn around to look at my attacker, and of course I groan at the familiar figure. Of course it had to be Grovyle of all pokemon that is lying before me unconscious.

Now I have a dilemma. Should I take him to the cave? On one hand, Grovyle is an annoying jerk, and I don't trust him one bit. On the other hand, he could die if I leave him out here, and he has information that I want. Unfortunately, there is only one viable option. I groan at my unfortunate situation; I didn't save his ass just to let him get mauled while he's unconscious. I reluctantly drag him back to the cave. It looks like I'll be guarding our surprise guest because I can't let him take me away in my sleep. I deposit him on the side of the cave that is opposite of Luca; then, I make myself comfortable right next to Luca. However, I keep my bat within reach just in case Grovyle actually wakes up before Luca. I figure that I have plenty of time before he wakes up, so I take time to study him.

Grovyle is probably a little over five feet if I don't include the leaf on his head**(I refuse to believe that grovyles are only about three feet despite what Bulabapedia says.). **Maybe around 5 foot 4? 5 foot 5? Like most grass types, most of his body is green, but he has a pink stomach. He looks like a regular grovyle at a glance, but then I notice a jagged scar on his arm and a smaller version of it on the underside of his leaf. There is a very small amount of light in the cave, so I can't really see if he has lighter scars. If he got the more noticeable scars from the sableye, then I bet that there are quite a few less noticeable scars littering his body. Sableye aren't known for being kind and gentle pokemon.

A while later, Grovyle began to stir. My drooping eyes just barely caught the movement. I snap my eyes open, and grip my bat in preparation. He looks disoriented at first, but he soon gathers his wits. He gets up in a flash and moves towards me. I stand up when he gets close enough.

"Do you really want to do this?" I question softly, so I won't wake Luca up.

Grovyle pauses for a moment, and I tensely watch him before he finally answers, "I will do anything for my mission. This is just another thing that I have to do to achieve my goal."

"What is your goal?" I say quickly so that he doesn't have time to start advancing again.

Grovyle stays still just like I'd hoped, "Perhaps I will tell you when we get back to my mother. She is waiting for us, so you are coming with me whether you like it or-"

I don't give him a chance to finish, and my bat whistles through the air until it hits his stomach. Grovyle is sent reeling back, and I allow myself a smirk. I guess that physical training has finally paid off. It's a good thing too; I was starting to doubt its usefulness.

Before Grovyle can manage to retaliate, Luca decided to wake up and put himself between the two of us. He addresses Grovyle wearily, "We have already expressed our disinterest in your proposal, and we don't appreciate you attacking us."

"No. YOU expressed YOUR disinterest. I believe that the human was about to agree to our proposal," Grovyle sneered. "Don't get in the way of this you glorified machop! This is for the good of everyone."

Luca snarls at the mouthy grovyle, "She would never agree to your offer if she knew your means to achieve your goal. You are as monstrous as any other pokemon here, and you dare try to claim that it is all for the greater good."

Grovyle rolled his eyes, "It sounds like it's personal for you. What do you have against us? It's not like we killed someone close to you like your family or your mate. Well, we might have."

Luca just snarled and glared in response. His eyes narrowed to the point where they were slits, and his teeth were bared. His stance goes rigid as if he is about to attack, and for the first time in my life, I find myself terrified of my big brother. He doesn't look like the calm, dependable, stern, and overprotective lucario that I've grown up with; instead, he looks as primal as any other pokemon in this wasteland we call home.

Luca looks like he's about kill Grovyle, and the sight of it forces a half-strangled sound out of my throat. Luca's fierce glare turned to me. Every cell in my body screams at me to run, and alarm bells screech their warnings in my head. I try to back away, but the cave wall stops my retreat. My heart thuds loudly in my chest as I face a type of death that I could never imagine in my wildest dreams. Nothing could ever prepare me for Luca killing me.

"Luca..." I sob out, "please stop."

His eyes are hard, and I can tell that he can't doesn't recognize me through the haze of anger clouding his head. I shut my eyes tightly as pain exploded in my stomach. I was definitely right when I said that he is a high level pokemon. I risk a glance at my stomach and immediately felt faint at the gory sight.

It definitely isn't as bad as some of the injuries I've seen on pokemon after a battle, but this is the most serious injury that I've ever sustained. Blood spewed forth from a deep, _deep _gash that probably came from metal claw. Or was it dragon claw? I feel too dizzy to remember which move he knows. No use trying to remember; Luca is so far gone he'll probably just kill me soon. I hope he'll be quick about it because I'm already in enough pain. The searing fire(it's the most appropriate term that comes to mind) in my stomach is torture, and I don't want to even think about any more pain.

I struggle to open my eyes, but my eyelids don't want to cooperate. When I manage to get a glimpse of Luca, I snap my eyes shut. Luca looks insane, and I don't want to die seeing him like that. Instead, I remember some of my fonder memories with him...

_Flashback_

_"Come on Luca! You can do better than that!" a seven year old me calls out to Luca as we play tag. _

_I risk a glance behind me. Luca is right on my heels, but the goofy smile on his face shows me that he will catch me sooner rather than later. It's one of the few times I have ever seen him look so free. I enjoy this sight on the few occasions that I see it, so I speed up in hopes of making that look stay on his face a little longer. Unfortunately, my stamina soon runs out, and Luca seizes me from behind and swings me around a few times. We both laugh jubilantly. When he sets me down, I tag him and run away, restarting the cycle..._

Harsh voices yelled at each other, but I can hardly hear them. My breathing was becoming shallower...

_Flashback_

_"Wahhhhh!" I cry out as one of the sableye claws at my back. _

_I angrily swing my bat at the sableye while desperately wishing that I could use aura to fight instead. Alas, my skills with aura are nonexistent even though I've been trying to master it for four years. I glance over my shoulder at Luca who is easily disposing of the last few sableye. Looking at the two persistent sableye attacking me, I got an idea. _

_"Hey, Luca! Batter up!" I yell as I hit both of the sableye towards him. _

_Luca barely looks up from his fight as he aura spheres the two sableye into oblivion. He quickly wrapped up his fight before heading over to me. His paws trailed over the claw marks on my back and I hiss in pain. His eyes glowed with concern as he inspected my back. Finally, he instructed me to lie on my stomach so that he could help me. I watch as he juiced oran and sitrus berries and mix them together. He added something that I can't identify to the mixture, but I'm sure that it's fine. Luca carefully pours the mixture over my wounds. The feeling that comes when the mixture is poured feels worse than the actual wound! My entire body goes rigid. Luca pets my hair soothingly, and eventually the stinging fades. When I bring my right hand to my back to inspect the wounds, I find none! I look up at Luca in wonder and see a satisfied smile on his face. Then, I notice a long cut on his arm. _

_"Luca! Did you fix me up before even looking at that cut?"_

_Luca looked at me sheepishly. That's all the confirmation I need. I sigh and get the oran and sitrus berries before rummaging around for the mystery ingredient. When I found it, I whipped up the same salve that he made for me. Stupid brother. My injury couldn't have been worse than his, but he helped me first anyway. I don't know if I should be grateful or scolding him..._

I feel unconsciousness trying to claim me, and I don't try to fight it. I'm going to die, so why draw it out? I only wish that I could find the strength to open my mouth and talk to Luca. I want to tell him that I don't blame him, that he is the best brother ever, that I love him, that I'm sorry he always had to look out for such a weak human being, that I'm sorry that I have to leave him...

I finally succumbed to the darkness.  
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Me: Phew! That was a hard one to write…

Luca and Aubrey:(Glares)

Me:(Sigh) Let me finish the AN before killing me. I'm sure the reviewers aren't here to see you guys brutally murder me(I hope). Anyways, I am sorry to say that I'm going to be either slow on updates or not updating at all the next couple of weeks because finals are coming up. I just don't want you guys to think I'm abandoning this story.

Grovyle:(Snorts) It's not like anyone reads this damn story anyways, so you don't have to worry one bit about losing viewers.

Me:(Glares) Rehiramgirl88, can I borrow Kate? She can use her bat on him because Grovyle just never learns when to shut up. By the way(girly voice) OMG a regular reviewer! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!

Grovyle:(Sneers) Oh yeah I'm so scared. Human girls who can't protect themselves don't scare me.

Aubrey and Luca:(Viciously attack author)


	7. Chapter 6

My limbs feel heavy; I can't even move. Is this death? Suddenly, I felt my body shake; no, something is shaking me. I guess I have a roomie for the rest of eternity. After a great deal of struggling, all the while the person is shaking me harder and harder, I finally crack one eye open. Oh Arceus please don't let me have to spend eternity with him. I've been punished enough!

"Wake up, human!" Grovyle grunted.

Sighing, I once again opened my eye, "So Luca killed you too, huh?"

Grovyle growled at me, "You are alive, idiot! You are damn lucky that I saved your life from your 'precious big brother,' but we are _even _now! Don't ever even try to throw saving me from Dusknoir in my face!"

I'm...alive? Grovyle...saved me? I just can't wrap my head around those two ideas. I want to refuse to believe that they are facts even though I desperately hope that I am alive, but the evidence definitely points in that direction. Ugh, just thinking that makes my head spin. Reluctantly, I sit up. There's no doubt in my mind that Grovyle won't let me rest any longer because that's just the type of asshole he is. Besides, I want some answers.

"So," I say, "where are we?"

Grovyle barely glances at me, "My home. Mom wanted me to take you straight here."

I instantly perk up. Vera's here? I don't have to deal with the douche bag anymore? Well, I can't exactly be mean to him; he did save my life. I should thank him while I can...

Reluctantly, I speak, "Hey, Grovyle. I...I want to say...thanks. For saving my life, I mean. I'd be toast if you hadn't helped even though I can't really remember what happened. What exactly...happened to...to Luca?"

Grovyle snorts, "I was wondering when you would ask that, human. After you were KO'd, I attacked him with dig. He was dazed, so I took you and ran. Haven't seen the aura-hound since then. Honestly, I'll be happy if I never see the mutt again."

"Do. Not. Speak. About. Luca. That. Way!" I growl out lowly.

"Are we talking about the same lucario? I'm talking about the one that nearly killed you," Grovyle drawled out infuriatingly.

I wince. There isn't much to say about that. I can't exactly say that he loves me when he was so bloodthirsty that he would attack me. Even though I forgave Luca, that doesn't mean that the fact that he attacked me doesn't sting. I love him dearly, but he terrified me when he nearly killed me. Those cold, somewhat crazed eyes... Urf, I shiver in fear just thinking about it. I never thought that he could lose control; he's always been the calm and collected one. I wish that he could be here to explain why he went zubatshit on me. But, if he was here, I'd probably be running for the hills. I'm so, so scared of him right now. Why does it have to be this way?

I hug my knees to my chest and start bawling like a baby. Sobs wrack my body, and nothing that I do can stop or muffle them. I want the simple days back. I want to be like I was when I was four, carefree and easily pleased. I want to be able to trust in the fact that I'm safe with Luca, but I'm not even safe _from _Luca. Now what am I supposed to do? I have _**nothing **_anymore! Congrats cruel, twisted fate, I have lost the last of my family thanks to your ruthless ways. Now, all that's left is me, but that won't be for long. With nothing to live for, I'll probably just let a pokemon use me for food if I don't off myself first.

Unfamiliar arms wrapped around me, but I gratefully accept the desperately needed comfort. Forcing my mind to chase away the suicidal thoughts, I lean into the embrace. I look up to see Vera's concerned and maternal face observing my less than stellar state. I attempt to smile at her, but instead my sobs start anew. She whispers soothing words in my ear, but I can hardly hear her. I just cry and cry until I finally fall into unconsciousness.

When I wake up, I'm alone in the same tree that I woke up in before. I groan as I stretch. As convenient as trees are, they are murder to stay on for not one but two naps. My eyes go wide when my fingers brush my belt, or rather, where it should be. I don't feel my belt. Frantically, I search for my stuff, but it's all in vain. My bag and my only weapon are both gone, so now I'm defenseless. How am I going to defend myself now? Ugh, this is going to be difficult, but maybe someone can help me. I look nervously at the bottom of the tree. I can either go up where there are most likely others but probably a higher chance of dying by falling, or I can go down but probably get eaten by a random pokemon. Even though I contemplated suicide earlier, I don't think I'm actually ready to die yet. Swallowing my fears, I slowly inch up the tree. It's hard work, but after a while...I get to the next branch. How pathetic.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I gulp and look up to see Grovyle, "I'm trying to climb a tree. What're you doing?"

"Watching you fail at life," he replies nonchalantly.

I scowl up at him, "We'll we can't all be born to climb trees, Grovyle."

"A magikarp could climb this tree faster than you can human."

"I do have a name, _Grovyle!_" I snarl. Screw being nice to him; he always starts it!

"I don't care, _human._"

I growl under my breath. Leaving myself at the mercy of the hungry pokemon seems much more appealing now. No, I just have to endure this. I'll be back with Luca soon... Oh wait, maybe I won't. I don't even know if I'll ever see Luca again. I hope that he's at least looking for me. I really miss him despite what happened.

"Do you need help?" Grovyle smirks.

"No!" I snarl. No way in hell am I accepting help from him.

I slowly, but surely, I make my way up to where Grovyle is. When I get up there, he loudly fake yawns. I scowl at him. That's the first time I've ever climbed a tree on my own, and I am rather proud of the fact that I did it! Why does he have to ruin it? I turn away from him to climb further up the tree, but Grovyle is having none of that.

"We'll be dead by the time you climb up that tree!" he snaps as he throws me onto his back.

I shriek as he jumps from branch to branch with ease. I cling to him for dear life. Why the hell didn't he ask my permission? This is crazy, and I don't like this! I'd hit him if I wasn't so scared of falling, so I settle for screaming right in his ear. Finally, much sooner than if I had been climbing unfortunately, we made it to Vera's branch towards the top of the tree.

I sigh as I finally face the one pokemon who can finally give me all of the answers that I've been wanting ever since I had my latest vision.

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Me: Okay guys, turns out that I had the wrong chapter posted. That chapter is chapter seven now, and to make this up to you guys, I'm posting chapter 8 early instead of on Friday. Sorry!


	8. Chapter 7

"Vera," my voice cracks a bit, but I push on, "I wish I could see you under better conditions. I...It's been hard for me ever since I first met you and your son. Right now, I just want answers. Why? Why did Grovyle bring me here? Why are my visions so important? What is going on here? Please, I just want to understand."

Vera looks at me with pity in her eyes, "I wish it was easy to simply explain everything to you, but it's not. In order for you to understand what's happening, I need to start from the beginning of time. Make yourself comfortable Aubrey, this will take a while."

I sit down on a tree branch as she continues, "Life wasn't always like it is now, Aubrey. There was no real struggle to survive because there were so many luxuries in the past. The light that we can now only get from fire and torches used to be present without it. This gray wasteland uses to have brighter colors that have been diluted and dulled. Water flowed freely through coursing rivers. Water would fall from the sky to replenish our water supply. Once upon a time, there was even a day star that gave us warmth, light, and _**life, **_and this planet was beautiful because of this star. It was once called the Sun."

My eyes widened. I couldn't imagine such a wonderful world. Did this Sun make getting food easier? Did it make us more civilized? Were we better off with it? Mom used to speak of a better past; could this be what she spoke of?

"It was a better time for all. They had formed, for a lack of better word, groups, and they would live in these groups. They helped each other, and many times they would aide someone they crossed paths with for little or no reward. Killings were minimal because the planet could support much more life, so plants were eaten instead of others in most cases. No one really killed those on their territory, so I suppose we could call it a peaceful time."

What a beautiful world...if only it had stayed that way...

"That peaceful time came to an end around perhaps a hundred and fifty years ago if years mean anything now. Temporal Tower had begun its collapse. Time began to slow, and that caused mass panic. Friends blamed one another for time's gradual halt. Fights broke out among the groups, and these groups eventually fell apart. The more civilized groups tried to find a solution, but they began their search too late. The stopping of time reached them before they could put their final solution into motion. Those pokemon are forever frozen in time. I have personally gone to their headquarters, and I have seen their solution with my own eyes. It's amazing in its simplicity, and if they had put it into action sooner, they probably could have saved the Earth from the paralysis that it suffers from now. Alas, it was too late; the planet became fated to be forever in darkness. Plants began to shrivel up and die without the Sun's gentle heat, and now we can only struggle to provide for our families."

I stared at her in shock. That wondrous world is history because a plan had been put together too late? UNACCEPTABLE! Why can't we go through with it now?! We can fix their mistake! I got choked up when I thought of the possibilities. Mom can come back. We can find Luca and help him. No more hatchlings will be dead before their life can really begin. It will be the dawn of a golden age!

"What was their plan?" I manage to croak out."

Vera sighs, "They were going to gather up the five most well known Time Gears and deliver them to Temporal Tower."

Time Gear? Temporal Tower? Those words seem rather familiar. Oh! That rock Vera told me to touch! I had one of my dizzy spells, and then I had a vision. Dialga had entrusted Azelf with a Time Gear before going home to Temporal Tower! But...Dialga had a plan in place! That plan was supposed to ensure the continuity of time!

_Only if the Time Gear was stolen, _a tiny, irritating voice reminded me. I groan inwardly. Of course! They didn't talk about the collapse of Temporal Tower, did they? There was no procedure for it, so they could only run around like headless torchics!

Wait a second, "What about Dialga? If time was in danger, why didn't he go to Azelf and his siblings for help? Why did he just let the world go to shit? How could he allow the tower to collapse?" My anger was apparent in my words.

"Azelf? Have your visions included Azelf in them? Amazing! Your dimensional scream really _is _tethered to Time Gears!" Vera muttered. "Err-hem! Azelf is one of the pokemon in the legendary lake trio. The trio was ordered to protect three of the Time Gears that Dialga distributed among several noble pokemon. There were seven Time Gears in all even though only five were needed to keep time flowing in case something were to happen to the original five. The extra two were sort of like clones that would only work for a set amount of time before breaking. The protectors of the main five were renowned legends. The lake trio, made up of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, guarded three separate Time Gears, the volcano pokemon, Heatran, guarded his Time Gear, and the time traveler pokemon, Celebi, guarded the fifth time gear. These five pokemon were some of Dialga's most trusted advisers and Arceus's most able legends for the job. At the time, it must have seemed like an unstoppable team. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The dream team didn't act like a team with the exception of the lake trio. Unlike the three siblings, Heatran and Celebi had other duties to attend to, so at times, their Time Gears were left unattended. This caused strife between all of the guardians, so Celebi used her limited powers over time to create the two faux gears in an attempt to appease all of the gears' guardians. They could temporarily work as actual Time Gears, but they were simply the first of many traps that she created to protect the two least attended to gears. Rather than appease the lake trio, this made them angrier. They said that these traps would never give the same benefit as a present guardian. As a result, Heatran decided to leave his Time Gear with a trusted friend, Ditto, and leave the faux gear unattended to further anger the siblings. This was the straw that broke the camerupt's back, and the lake trio isolated themselves from the two guardians that they believed didn't take their duty seriously. Eventually, the siblings ceased communications with even each other unless there was an emergency."

"The guardians were in disarray, so the collapse of Temporal Tower went nearly unnoticed. However, Mew noticed it. For reasons unknown to us, she went to the common pokemon in search for help. She visited thousands of pokemon in their dreams and begged for help, and she found it at Wigglytuff's Guild. This guild was a group of pokemon who dedicated themselves to saving others, arresting criminals, and exploring new lands. They were the ones who hatched the plan to save Temporal Tower, but their plans had been delayed by a mysterious pokemon. No one ever knew what it was, but all they could ever catch was a glimpse of a shadow. This pokemon put key explorers in the hospital, tore up plans, and even attempted to assassinate the leader of this guild. I think that this pokemon wanted this dark and gloomy world to come into existence, but that doesn't make sense. What type of pokemon would want a living nightmare to exist?"

I stare at Vera dumbfounded. All of this information was flying around my thoughts; it's hard to pick the most important bit to focus on! After a few moments, I collect my bearings. It's abundantly clear to me that we need to try to restore the world to how it once was, and now I need to know how I can help.

"Vera, how do I fit into this? Better yet, how do you know all of this?"

"I do believe that I can answer those questions," a feminine voice answered from the shadows before revealing her pink form.

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Me: Ugh! I finally got this chapter out!

Aubrey: Info…overload…

Grovyle: Oh, this story is still going on? I thought you realized how stupid it is. (Smirks)

Me: =.= That really hurts, Grovyle. KATE! AUBREY! You have permission to go and get the axes!

Grovyle: 0.0' Axes? You gave the psychotic human girls axes?

Me: (shrugs) I felt bad for them, and I needed to put you in your place. I am the all-powerful author; don't get me mad.

Kate and Aubrey: (Run in with axes looking like Luca a couple of chapters ago) Get Grovyle!

Grovyle: Shit!(Runs for dear life)

Me: (insert evil laugh) Okay, now that that's over with… Thanks as always Reshiramgirl88 for reviewing. I will definitely be using Kate in the future. Are there any special abilities that I can use (cough cough against Grovyle cough)? As a side note, this story is about to break 200 views, but it only has five reviews mostly from one person. I doubt she reread this story 190 times, so you silent readers should speak up. I am always glad to hear constructive criticism, and I want to hear opinions. It saddens me that the story I put so much more effort into is the one with the least amount of popularity and reviews. So tell me: love it? Hate it? Think these end blurbs are annoying?

Oh shit, Grovyle is coming back. I got to run. He is probably not happy that I gave those girls stink bombs and throwing knives…


	9. Chapter 8

Already mentally drained from the overload of information, I just stare at the newcomer. Two antennae emerged from an oddly shaped head that is way too big for her body. Her green eyes are bright and playful which isn't something you see often in this dark world. At the same time, her very presence gave an aura of being ancient and powerful which contrasted the playful and joyful vibe that just oozed out of her. It was dizzying, and after a moment, I needed to look away from her.

"Did you break her already, Ms. Vera?" she sighs. "We need her brain to work, you know!"

"Maybe I went about telling her wrongly..." Vera murmurs. "Perhaps we should wait to tell her your side of the story, Celebi."

My head shoots up, "Celebi? You are THE Celebi?"

Celebi giggles, "Well, I'm the only Celebi around at the moment. My mother was THE Celebi that you've heard of. She died when time stopped, but she left me what must've been like a 600 page letter explaining the entire story. It is hard to read that much when you are an illiterate hatchling!"

I nod absentmindedly. That actually explains a lot. There is no way any pokemon could have such extensive knowledge on a past that seems like a fairy tale unless they knew a legendary pokemon. As I ponder this, my stomach grumbles, loudly.

"How about some breakfast before Celebi finishes breaking my mind?" I propose.

Laughing lightly, Celebi agrees, "I'm hungry too! We should also take my, I mean, our darling Grovyle along as well. He's probably hungry too!"

I smile tightly and nod deciding to ignore that odd slip up. I only have to handle him for one meal; maybe I won't even have to talk to him. Vera smiles amusedly at us before gesturing towards the bottom of the tree. Reluctantly, I peer over the edge. Holy shit! We are way high up! I am going to go splat if I attempt to get off of this tree!

"Boo!" a very familiar, annoying voice whispers in my ear.

"Ahhhhh!" I screech as I begin to lose my balance. Before I know it, the ground starts rushing up to meet me.

"Grovyle!" two voices chastise shrilly.

Oh my Arceus I'm going to die! I wave my arms around wildly in an attempt to grab a tree branch, and I luckily snag a somewhat sturdy one. I hazard a glance below me; that wasn't the most intelligent idea I've ever had. Even though I fell a great distance, I still wasn't even halfway down the tree. My muscles begin to strain; my upper body strength could still use some training. _Crack! _My eyes widen at the sound. Shit! The branch is going to give out! So this is how I go? I am certainly pathetic. Little by little, I felt my grip start to grow slack, and the branch started to creak. Despite how hard I try to fight it, I am slipping, and I'm going to fall whether by me giving out or the branch giving out.

Just as I thought myself a goner, a hand grasps my arms and starts pulling. When I'm in their arms, my savior bounds over to an adjacent branch that was a heck of a lot thicker and sturdier. I watch as the branch I was just hanging on to for dear life snap off the tree and shatter into millions of splinters when it hit the ground. I had no idea how close to death I was until this moment. Uncontrollable sobs tear out of my throat without my permission. I didn't want to cry because I have done enough crying to last me a while, but the tears ran down my face anyway. My mind wanders to all the ways the world has wronged me since I met Vera and Grovyle. First, I get temporarily taken away from the only pokemon in the world that I truly trust. Then, my visions act up from a piece of rock, so Vera started saying nonsense about how I could "save us all." After that, Grovyle chases me down when Luca gets me back, and Grovyle even goes as far as to drive my brother into such a frenzy that he nearly kills me. Now, I still have more questions than answers about this whole damn mess. On top of everything else, I just have to have another near death experience. Can't I just have a typical "day"(I measure days by when I wake up and when I fall asleep) where all I have to worry about is aura training and picking nonpoisonous berries?

"Erm, there there?" an awkward voice accompanied an equally awkward pat on my shoulder.

A glance at the speaker told me it was, of course, Grovyle. Tears stream down my face as I stare at him. It seemed to make him feel even more uncomfortable, but I think he deserved a little discomfort for making me fall. Normally, I'd say that I owe him for saving my life again, but his "heroics" have been nullified by the fact that it's his fault.

Finally, everything just gets to me, and I just explode, "Grovyle! You scared me to death, in more ways in one, before I could even blink! Was that prank seriously necessary? On top of all the shit you've done, you just had to add attempted murder to the list!"

All traces of feeling awkward gone, Grovyle retorted, "Well, it's not my fault you're so easily scared. But then again, I guess _humans _are so weak that it's only natural to feel afraid of every single little thing."

"If I'm so weak, how did I manage to knock you out the other day?" I snap at him.

Grovyle just glares back wordlessly, so I add smugly, "What? Meowth got your tongue? Or are you just afraid to admit you got beat up by a human?"

Celebi floats down to the branch we were standing and places herself between us, "Now now. Stop arguing you two. My dear Grovyle, I agree that your actions were wrong and that you should apologize." I grin triumphantly. "But, Aubrey that gives you no excuse to act so meanly! You should apologize to Grovyle! Grovyle obviously acknowledged he was wrong and went to get you. He was even gallant enough to risk his life saving you..."

I watch as Celebi's eyes cloud over while she trailed off. What the heck is wrong with her? I'll give her that Grovyle saved me, but he was not gallant. It's more like he was covering his sorry ass because my death would mean trouble for him with Vera. Plus, what is with her...erm; I don't even know what to call it! She looks, dopey, spacey, elated, and thoroughly lost in her own world! I seriously don't get this!

I look at Grovyle, but he is too busy looking at anywhere but Celebi to answer my silent question. Between Ms. Oblivious-to-anything-outside-her fantasies and Mr. Looking-around-pretending-to-scout-for-food, I have no idea what to do and no one to talk to.

With nothing to do, I observe my surroundings. Sometimes I catch sight of a ghost pokemon or two floating above the trees, but the really interesting find is the pineco. Pineco aren't impressive pokemon at all, but this one isn't a typical pineco at all. It's frozen in mid-drop probably from when time was frozen. I look at it sadly; it had no clue what it was going to happen to it. Now its lifeless body is eternally frozen in midair.

It's so close that I can touch it, so I do. It's frozen to the touch, but no colder than any other corpse left in cool temperatures, I suppose. Surprisingly, I found that the pineco moved slightly when my fingers brushed against it.

Its movement gave me an idea. Stretching out a bit, I manage to grasp the pineco and pull it onto the branch. Then, I look to the ground where I saw several zigzagoon munching on some mushrooms located along the base of the tree. Mentally apologizing to the pineco's spirit, if it has one, I hurl it with all my might downward. It slices the head of one of the zigzagoon clean off, and another one's hind legs got injured. That's actually a lot better than I had hoped. Smiling somewhat triumphantly, I tap Grovyle's arm and point to my two victims before saying, "Lunch."

Grovyle's eyes widen in surprise when he sees them, and he quickly darts down to retrieve the food. When he gets down, he surveys them for a moment before killing the injured zigzagoon and bringing them both up. I expected at least a thank you from him, but Grovyle merely ignores me as he sets down our meal and heads back down. Feeling mildly insulted, I huff and sit down on the branch facing away from Grovyle. I end up face to face with the zigzagoons that we just killed. Guilt starts to bubble up in my chest. Luca only got us meat every once in a while, so I usually ate only berries. The meat was only really for times when we needed extra strength. Never given a real reason as to why we didn't eat meat often, I just went with it. Now, my conscience pops up and asks me what Luca would say.

No! Food is food, and I can't afford to be picky right now. Luca isn't here to help me get food, and Celebi and Grovyle weren't doing much of anything. I did what I had to do. Nevertheless, I bow my head slightly and mentally apologize to them. I'll give my thanks right before I eat.

"I'm back," Grovyle announces.

I deadpan, "Do you want a medal?"

Celebi jumps up, "Oh Grovyle! I had no idea that you had left! Why didn't you take me with you? I could have helped gather berries for all of us."

Grovyle sighs and sits down, "Celebi, I only got enough berries for you. The human managed to somehow snag us some meat, so that's what the two of us are eating."

"I have a NAME! It's AUBREY!" I growl out.

Grovyle simply shoots me a look that says "I don't care" before he gives Celebi her fruit. Huffing angrily, I grab the decapitated zigzagoon and start skinning it. When I finish, I look up to see Grovyle diligently skinning the other zigzagoon and Celebi eating her berries while watching Grovyle. I grin at the domestic, even peaceful scene before I realize something.

"Um...guys? What should I do with this?" I ask as I gesture to the skinned and ready-to-cook carcass in front of me.

Grovyle looks at me like I'm crazy, "You eat it."

"Are you crazy? I'll get sick!" I blurt out.

"You humans really are fragile... What do you want me to do?" Grovyle sighs.

"Erm..." what did I want him to do? Oh, wait, I got an idea! "Get me to the ground...please."

Grovyle narrows his eyes but nods. Without any warning, I am suddenly in his arms and bouncing from branch to branch. Before I can even register what's happening, we reach the ground. I chastely thank him before observing what I have to work with. Rocks litter the area, and fallen twigs are common no matter what direction I look.

Perfect, I have everything I need. I hand Grovyle my zigzagoon before getting to work. Clearing a small area, gathering wood, and placing the rocks around my makeshift fire pit were easy enough. Now, I actually have to make a fire. Luckily, I've watched Luca do this a million times. It takes a few tries, but I manage to get a small fire going. After that, I sharpen a stick before sticking it through my zigzagoon.

Cooking has never been my strong point; I've always known that. Thankfully, the zigzagoon was small and cooked quickly. Even I couldn't mess up such a simple meal. Big game is where it gets dicey though, but I digress. I was so glad when I determined that the meat was well cooked.

"Are you done yet?" Grovyle whines for the twelfth time. "I'm almost done with my zigzagoon, and Celebi has been finished!"

I roll my eyes at his impatience. Cooking didn't take long at all; he just doesn't understand that patience is a virtue. Nevertheless, I face him, tear off a piece of the (finally) cooked meat, and pop it in my mouth. Celebi inspects the meat thoroughly. She never had any type of meat a day in her life because it's not compatible with her body. While I was cooking, she kept asking me questions about meat and how I could stand it.

I mentally apologize to the zigzagoon once again. If I could, I would live only on fruit, but I can't. I live off of what I find.

"Aubrey," Celebi begins her next question, "would Grovyle be able to eat cooked meat?"

I shrug, "Maybe he can. Meat is meat no matter what you do to it, and Grovyle is a carnivore. Do you want to try some, Grovyle?"

Grovyle eyes my food curiously before answering, "...Okay, human."

I hand him a piece, "Here you go, pokemon."

Celebi rolls her eyes at us, "You two are such children."

"No we're not!" Grovyle and I disagree in unison.

Celebi begins to laugh at us, and it's so infectious that I start giggling too. Grovyle sort of just grunts and eats his piece of zigzagoon. His eyes widen, and it makes me wonder if Grovyle's body can handle cooked meat. Apparently, I don't have to worry.

"Can I have another piece?" blunt as always, Grovyle.

I sigh; I only have a literal handful of food left. Plus, I kind of owe Grovyle for him helping me get down the tree. I hand him a piece, "Go nuts."

"Thanks...Aubrey," he mutters so softly that I can barely hear it.

I hold back a laugh and smile at him. Who knew that food is what would get him to call me by name and not by species?

For the rest of our "lunch break" we all just sat back and relaxed. Celebi's embarrassing stories about Grovyle were hilarious, and I found myself growing closer to the little pixie. Grovyle seemed somewhat at ease as well because in between scanning the tree line and practicing his newly learned leaf blade, he contributed to the conversation. For a while, it felt like all my troubles melted away.

"Aubrey! You didn't!" Celebi gasps after hearing the story of when I hit Grovyle with my bat.

"She surprised me," Grovyle grunts between leaf blades.

"Hahaha! She is my new best friend for doing that! You were stalking her Grovyle! You totally deserved that! No friend of mine goes down without a fight!" Celebi laughs proudly.

Friend? I've...never had a friend before, and suddenly Celebi is declaring that I'm her best friend. It's kind of nice. If having a friend is as great as hanging out with Celebi, I can definitely enjoy it.

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Me: Oof, this is the longest chapter of the story, and it hardly progresses the plot! It's filler! By the way, sorry about the weeklong mishap. Hahaha that's kind of stupid of me to not notice that I posted the wrong chapter!

Grovyle: I'd definitely use stupid as a word to describe you. Don't worry about your readers; you only have one. Honestly, I can't believe that you're still writing!

Celebi: Hey don't discourage her! (Hugs writer) She is doing a good job!

Me: (Pulls lever that opens trapdoor beneath Grovyle) Thanks Celebi.

Celebi: Where does that trapdoor lead?

Me: It leads to a room. Kate's been waiting there for a while with the chainsaw I bought her. Thanks for the advice Reshiramgirl88! I seriously love hearing from you! I hope you don't mind; Kate is going to be in the ANs for a while.

Celebi: Grovyle! (Flies down trap door to save him)

Me: (sighs happily) I love my job… Anyway, don't forget to check out the new chapter six to see the actual chapter, reread chapter seven because it'll make more sense now, and please review! I'm open to constructive criticism! I want to become a better writer.


	10. Chapter 9

With my stomach sated and my mind rested, I felt like I could handle anything. As Grovyle helps me up the tree, I focus on all the best parts of my life. Things might be frightening right now, but I can get through it!

"So Aubrey, how do you feel about fighting Dialga?" Celebi asks casually.

What? Fight Primal Dialga? She might as well ask me if I'm ready to die! There are rumors of those that fought him in combat, and none of them have happy endings. These rumors aren't about weak pokemon either; I'm talking about tyranitar, charizards, alakazams, dragonites, and all types of fierce and strong pokemon. They were all known for speaking out against Primal Dialga, and they paid in blood.

Seeing my horrified look, Celebi quickly assures, "I don't mean actually fighting him in combat! I mean that you are going to be defying his orders in order to restart time. Do you think you can do that?"

I swallow thickly. Can I do it? I...I'm not sure I can; he's too powerful. If he sent his lackeys after me, I'd be a goner. But...my mom...I have to do it for my mom! Mom and Jamie will come back if I pull this off! Then, we can find Luca and help him get through his problems. We'd be a family again! We'd be a family again...I need to remember that; that's my goal. I repeat my new mantra in my head a few times before I look Celebi in the eyes.

"Bring it on."

Celebi beams at me, "You're gutsy; you know that? Well then, let's get this show on the road!"

A smile tugs at my lips as I reply, "So now can you tell me how I fit into all of this?"

Celebi falters for a moment, "Oh. I forgot to tell you that part, didn't I? Hahaha...sorry. Okay, well how should I phrase this?" She thinks for a moment before her eyes light up. "Okay, so you know how you get visions when you touch an item sometimes? Well those items are usually linked to Time Gears in some way. In my mom's 600 page essay, she neglected to actually say where the Time Gears were, so we have no clue where most of them are. One of the Planetary Investigation's agents stumbled upon clues of one being in Crystal Cave, but we've yet to see an actual Time Gear."

"Planetary Investigation?" I query.

Vera answers this one, "It's a group of pokemon and maybe one or two humans. They investigate the cause of the planet's paralysis and possible solutions. Celebi, my son, and I are all agents. It's actually Planetary Investigation _Team_, but Celebi says 'PI sounds better than PIT.'"

I nod and gesture for Celebi to continue, which she does, "That's where you come in. We get leads to where the Time Gears are, and you explore the area and see if your ability is triggered since it's triggered by Time Gears. Vera and our team of analyzers hope to glean a bit more information on the flow of time and how to restore it by actually studying a real Time Gear. Do you think that you can do that for us?"

"Wait a moment before you make a decision, Aubrey." Vera interjects gravely. Despite how easy Celebi makes it sound, you _will_ be putting yourself at risk. Should it be known that one of the few remaining humans alive is helping in the effort of restoring time, you will be hunted. If you are captured, you _will _be tortured and executed. You _will _have to fight for your life should you be found by any pokemon loyal to Primal Dialga. You _won't_ be safe should you choose to do this. Do you really wish to help our cause?"

_We'd be a family again. We'd be a family again. Do not forget about your dream of reuniting your family, Aubrey!_ _ Do not chicken out of this because you are afraid of death! _I gather up every ounce of courage in me and shove away the icy grip of fear in order to answer, "That won't change my answer. I said, 'Bring it on'."

Vera smiles softly and takes my hand. "Thank you," she whispers. "You have no idea what a kindness you've done. Thank you."

I give her a weak smile, fear creeping up to grab my heart again. I push it aside and answer, "Don't thank me yet. I'm guessing my first assignment is Crystal Cave?"

Vera replies a bit hoarsely, "Erm, right your assignment. I suppose now is as good as ever to have you go to Crystal Cave. I suggest that you wait a bit in order to prepare yourself. There is no way to tell how long you'll be gone, so make preparations accordingly."

"I'll keep that in mind," I assure her. "Hey Celebi, mind helping me pack?"

"Sure! Are you going to discuss with Grovyle what to take?" Celebi asks lightly.

I shoot her a weird look, "Why would I do that? It's not like he's coming with me."

"Well who else is going to save your sorry behind?" an all too familiar voice questions sarcastically. "Ma said I'm accompanying you, so we are stuck together."

He's actually behaving a bit better than usual. Perhaps Vera threatened him or something like that; I don't think us being somewhat amicable during lunch would really help his behavior problems. Either way, I'll enjoy this excursion a lot more if he is being half as civil as he is right now instead of how he is normally. If he plays nice, then so will I.

Nevertheless, I still tease him, "I don't know Grovyle... Celebi's looking pretty tough..."

"Hmph."

Celebi laughs, "You two are so funny!"

"Nice to know we are so amusing," we deadpan in unison.

Celebi giggles some more but says nothing. Instead, she flies off to get us some berries for the road. Grovyle gives me a small pack to carry some stuff in. It's only half as big as my old backpack, and I inwardly sulk at my loss of weapon and the few earthly possessions that I have. Well, I **had** earthly possessions.

I shake my head slightly to ward off those thoughts. Right now, I have a job to do! Grovyle leads me to the inventory and leaves me to my own devices with only the warning to "not go crazy." I didn't intend to take more than the essentials anyway! I look over the selection with a critical eye. With no idea of what's to come, I decide arm myself with a few silver spikes and a broad but very limited selection of berries and seeds. By the time I've finished deciding what I would need, Celebi had returned. She went to Grovyle first and gave him half of the berries in her arms while blushing heavily. She then runs over to me.

"Aubrey!" she huffs. "I got these for you. Please use them to stay safe!"

I glance over at my bag. I had left enough room for about five items just in case we stumble upon something we need, but Celebi's pleading face had me filling up those slots with the sitrus and lum berries that she had scavenged. Her beaming smile assures me that I made the right decision, but her hug catches me by surprise.

"You and Grovyle better come back safe and sound; I'll never forgive you if you two don't come back! Don't forget to have each other's back and work together so that you two and come back in one piece," she chokes out as she fights back tears.

I pat her back lightly as I respond, "Listen here, Celebi. Grovyle and I are stubborn as hell. We won't just up and die on you, okay?"

"Okay," Celebi sniffles. "Are you done? I want to hang out before you guys leave."

"I'm good, Celebi. Let's go!"

Celebi yells her delight before taking me by the hand and rushing over to Grovyle. We somehow manage to separate him from his own backpack with the promise that we leave him alone to pack when he wakes up. We quickly agree, but Celebi makes him promise to at least say good bye before we set off.

Celebi treats us both to a dinner of extremely rare nanab berries at the very top of the tree. The sweetness is such a treat to my tongue, and I savor every single bite as I try not to look down. Celebi looks so proud of herself for getting the meal, so I can't help but thank her repeatedly and tell her how tasty the berries are. Her eyes light up with every praise.

Other than the few odd comments, dinner is eaten in relative silence with a few cheerful comments from Celebi. It's comfortable and reminds me of meals with Luca. Luca... I miss you so much. I hope you're doing okay out there because I fully intend to find you one day and get the family back together. I'm doing fine, but it'd be nice to know that you're okay after that episode. The emotional pain... I wish I could help you through that.

Celebi's voice pulls me back to the present, "Aubrey, are you okay? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm fine, Celebi; I'm not really thinking about much," two lies in one sentence.

Not at all pleased with my answer, Celebi presses on, "But you looked so sad!"

"...I really don't want to talk about it. It's painful."

"Friends help friends get through pain! Please let me help you!"

"I'll tell you when we get back, Celebi. Please don't push the issue!"

"But-"

"Celebi, stop." Grovyle interrupts. "She'll tell you when we get back. You'll know soon enough."

Celebi looks crestfallen, but she agrees to stop. I nod my thanks to Grovyle who tips his head up in acknowledgement. Even though he's a huge douche most of the time, he kind of has my back I guess. It's not really a lot, but I suppose I could start trusting him a bit more.

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Me: Okay! I got it in!

Grovyle: Just barely…

Me: (sweet voice) You know what, Grovyle, you're right. You deserve a break from being right and amazing all the time. Why don't you go over there (points to room) and rest up?

Grovyle: (smirks) I think I will. (Goes into room) What the f-

Kate: Thanks for getting him into the medieval torture room!

Me: No problem! Just try to make sure that you beat some manners into him!

Aubrey: (looks at torture room) A reviewer gave you all this stuff?

Me: Pretty cool, right? Anyway readers, I hope you enjoyed and please review!


	11. Chapter 10

The moment I wake up, I know it's going to be a long day. Why is that? I woke up to Celebi bawling in my chest and begging me not to die. I stroke her head soothingly as I assure her that I'm made of tougher stuff than to just die on my first mission. At first, she just cries harder at my attempts to comfort her, but eventually her sobs lessen. Even though it couldn't have been too long, I felt sort of drained after calming her down. To be honest, comforting people is pretty new to me; Luca was always the one who made me feel better, not the other way around.

Finally, Celebi looks up at me, "I'm sorry. I...sometimes I get scared when my friends go out on missions."

"Don't apologize for being afraid," I say using the same words that Luca always would. "It just shows that you are a normal living being, and that's not a bad thing."

Celebi grins at me, "That's really nice. It's, kind of deep, I guess."

"My brother always told me that when I would wake up cry in his arms and apologize. Eventually, I just learned not to apologize," I tell her.

We sit quietly for a moment before my stomach growls. Celebi and I look at each other and laugh. We swipe some fruit from a nearby tree, so we could have a little breakfast to keep us going for a while.

A solemn air hangs around us as we eat, and I can't help but wonder how to make it go away. Celebi isn't a solemn pokemon from what I've seen of her so far. Even when she was talking about going up against Dialga, _the _Dialga, she was giggling and smiling like it was no big deal. I've lived in near silence for a majority of my life, yet not hearing a peep from Celebi sets me on edge. Could I really have changed so much? I haven't been separated from Luca for too long by any standards...

I shake my head to dispel the somewhat depressing thoughts and turn to Celebi, "Hey Celebi, I've been wondering about something."

"Hm?"

Instead of asking what has her down like I wanted to, I ask, "Do you have any embarrassing stories about Grovyle?"

A mischievous smile told me I had made the right decision about what to ask her, "Well, back when Grovyle couldn't even fight on his own..."

Celebi and I laughed at all of the blackmail she dredged up on Grovyle, but in the back of my mind, I was getting a bit worried. Celebi was really worried before about Grovyle and me leaving, and I'm assuming that's why she was so quiet before. The way she acted, it seemed like there was no chance of our survival. Vera would never send us on a suicide mission though! She...she wouldn't, right?

After breakfast, Celebi and I go over to see if Grovyle is up yet. As it turns out, he's been checking, double checking, and triple checking his supplies. I see him reach for the bag that I packed.

"Hold it right there, pokemon!" I command.

"What's your problem now, human?" he sneers.

I point to my bag. "**My **bag. Don't touch it. I was careful in selecting all of my supplies, so you don't have any reason to go through it. Plus, I didn't go through your bag to see if I approved everything you packed!"

"Are you implying that your planning skills are better than mine?" he growls.

I stare at him in disbelief, "I'm not implying anything. I am being as blunt as I can possibly be. I don't want you acting like I can't prepare a simple bag for traveling when I've never stayed in one area longer than absolutely needed!"

"Oh, so now you're playing the pity card!"

"I'm just telling you how it is!"

"Yeah right. You humans are all the same."

"How the hell are we all the same?!"

"You are all pitiful, weak, self-pitying, undependable, selfish little-"

"Stop it you two!" Celebi finally cries out. "I can't stand hearing this! Yes, Aubrey. Grovyle should consult you before going through your bag, but you two should have packed your bags together! Grovyle, do you really think that Vera would trust Aubrey with this mission if she thought that she is half as bad as you make all humans out to be? No! Of course she wouldn't; Vera is not an idiot! You two are going to kill each other at this point! Grovyle, you were wondering why I have been worrying about this particular mission so much; well this is the reason! You two mess with each other and go at each others' throats at nearly every opportunity! That is going to hurt you guys in the long run. Just...please get along for this one mission...Don't make me beg; I just want you guys back safe and sound..."

Celebi looks at us with watery eyes, and I automatically slump my shoulders in defeat. There is something about that sad yet hopeful expression that just makes me give in to her request. A glance at Grovyle shows that he is made out of tougher stuff than I am, but a few more seconds under Celebi's heartbreaking gaze renders him as powerless as I am.

I sigh, "Okay, Celebi. You're...right. You are completely right. We have been awful to each other, and that is going to be detrimental to our mission. Truce, Grovyle?"

He eyes me warily before agreeing, "Yeah, truce. I guess...we should repack our bags together."

"...Yeah..."

For Celebi's sake, we grudgingly unpack our bags and change up what we decide to bring to the mission. Our bags don't really change much, but a satisfied Celebi was what Grovyle and I were aiming for. She seems content with the little progress Grovyle and I have made in being civil to each other.

Finally, with nothing left to do, Grovyle and I bid Celebi and Vera farewell. Celebi looks a lot more confident in us at this point, and she cheerfully wishes us a safe journey while Vera wishes us the best of luck.

Hopefully this will be smooth sailing…

* * *

Grovyle: Thanks for the chair. (sits on chair)

Me: Kate, would you like to do the honors?

Kate: (presses button and Grovyle gets electrocuted)

Grovyle:…I HATE you

Aubrey: Tell them, Sirius.

Me: Okay…I'm going to the beach for a week or so, so I won't be updating at all.

Kate: Boo! Hiss!

Me: Aubrey.

Aubrey: (drags Kate away)

Me: Anyway, thank you, my lovely reviewers! Please review so I have something to read when I get back:)


	12. Chapter 11

The first leg of the trip is incredibly boring and unbearably taxing. Vera's warnings are still clear in my mind, so I keep a silver spike in my hand out of paranoia. Every sound makes me jump and grip my spike harder. I can tell that Grovyle is annoyed at my behavior, but he keeps his trap shut and says nothing. Our promise to Celebi is probably at the forefront of his mind whenever he wants to snap at me. I hope we can keep that promise…

We walk in nearly complete silence. The only time one of us opens our mouth is to point out a hazard in our path, and that isn't too often. The path we are traveling is basically a dirt road. The silence itself isn't too bad; the boredom is. Whenever Luca and I had to travel, Luca and I would divvy up certain chores. One day, I might have to look out for oran berry trees because we were running low. Another day, I might have to listen carefully for a certain sound because we were on a territorial pokemon's turf, and Luca needed an extra pair of ears. In hindsight, he might have just wanted to keep me busy, but it worked. I had enjoyed travelling and doing something "important" to help Luca. Now, with nothing "special" to do, I am completely and utterly bored.

Finally, the silence is broken by my stomach. Grovyle gives me a venomous glare to convey his annoyance, and I take a step back. He can be incredibly intimidating when he wants to. He starts grumbling under his breath before ordering me to stay where I am. He darts out of sight into the forested area to our right.

"Weh heh heh!" several voices start cackling.

I grip my silver spike tightly in fear. I would know that cruel laughter anywhere; the sableye have found me. Taking a deep breath, I prepare for their inevitable attack. Shockingly, their distinctive cackling begins to fade. I strain my ears to try and hear them, and I realize where they are going.

They are headed in Grovyle's direction.

Should I go after them? They might find Grovyle! On the other hand, Grovyle will kill me if he finds out I left this area toliterally chase after trouble. Then again, Grovyle might get seriously hurt by the sableye. Celebi would kill me if I didn't do anything, but she would also kill me if I got hurt. What should I do? What would Luca tell me to do?

Luca...has always told me to survive no matter what. He always told me that I have to be selfish to survive in this world. However, he's the one who was always risking himself to save my butt. How can he expect me to be selfish when he almost never is? What a hypocrite!

With that thought in mind, I head off in the direction Grovyle went. I run as fast as I can in hopes of getting to him before the sableye have a chance to. As I weave around the trees, I feel a wave of optimism crash over me. Grovyle is the wood gecko pokemon! He should be fine with all of these trees around. After all, he was able to outrun _Luca_ by going from tree to tree. What am I worrying about?

Just as I decide that I've been worrying for nothing, I stumble upon Grovyle fending off five sableye. Their harsh fury swipes leave long gashes on his body with blood flowing freely from them. I quickly jump into the fray. I immediately regret my decision to jump in without coming up with a plan.

The sableye only come up to my waist, and that limits me in ways in can't imagine. Rather than hitting those annoying pests with jabs and high kicks like Luca taught me, I have to resort to low, sweeping kicks and hitting them over the head with the blunt side of my silver spike. The kicks knock them off their feet, but they only need a moment to get back up. The spike injures them, but I don't hit them too hard because I don't want to kill them. I don't like killing when I don't need the pokemon for food.

In the end, I do little that really injures the pesky dual types. I just serve as enough of a distraction to keep their attention away from Grovyle who finishes them off. Some of them run away while a couple lie in a pool of their own blood.

I bite my lip and look away from the dead and dying ones. I **really** don't like killing if I don't get a meal out of it. It just seems wrong to me especially after hearing Vera's tale about how the past was.

"Didn't I tell you to stay where you were?" Grovyle's voice is dangerously low.

Shit. I'm not getting out of this at all. Wait a second! I came to save his ass, so he shouldn't be yelling at me! He should be thanking me!

"Yeah. What of it?" I challenge daringly. I could either pull it off beautifully of be in deeper shit than before. I sincerely hope that this argument ends with the former as the result.

"You disobeyed me, human."

Who does this guy think he is? My master? Incensed, I blow up at him, "_Disobeyed you? _You make it out like I'm your slave! I am not obligated to obey your every command, Grovyle! As much as you must abhor it, we are partners on this mission. I heard the sableye heading your way, so I thought you might need backup just in case. You did! It was five against one!"

"I could have taken them on my own," Grovyle spits out.

"No. You couldn't. There is still blood running down your arm, and it looks like you have some deeper cuts on your stomach and back. If I hadn't distracted them, you could have really gotten hurt."

"I don't need you for anything, human."

That's it. I march over so that we are only a few inches apart, and I say, "Yes you do. I have the damn ability to get visions, and you need that. I am important to this mission whether you like it or not." I take a deep breath before continuing. "Besides...I trust your judgment. That's why I stayed put at first. Can't you...try to trust my own judgment? It's not like I don't think before acting."

Grovyle takes a moment to study me. His piercing eyes make me uncomfortable, but I stare right back at him anyway. This is not a time to show weakness; he'll never respect me if I do. That is the last thing I need right now.

Finally, his eyes meet mine and he nods ever so slightly. I nod back coolly, but on the inside, I am letting out a huge sigh of relief. Hopefully, we can get this mission done easier with our new mutual trust. Well...that's assuming that we can keep it.

* * *

Hello there, readers, and thank you for being so patient about the update! I had a great time at the beach! (the burns….owowowowow)

Grovyle: Awww man she's back!

(Looks over artillery)….perfect! Kate! Aubrey! (Hands Kate rifle and Aubrey katana) Have fun!

Kate: Oh Grovyle!

Aubrey: We have a gift for you!

Grovyle: (runs)

Kate/Aubrey: (lunges at Grovyle) ATTACK!

(Yells over sounds of massacre) REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 12

Of course, Grovyle and I got extremely paranoid after the sableye's attack on him. We refused to stop walking at all for anything for fear of the sableye coming back for round two, so we have to ignore our rumbling stomachs. That turns out to be a terrible idea. After walking for about maybe five miles, my legs decide to give out on me, and I just completely run out of energy. Grovyle doesn't fare much better, but he has me lean against him. We manage to stumble about for maybe another half of a mile before his own exhaustion takes him down too. He passes out from what is most likely a combination hunger, exhaustion, and blood loss. When I say that he refused to stop for anything, I meant _anything. _He wouldn't even let me clean up his wounds let alone give me the chance properly attend to and bandage them. I can finally do that now that he can't protest.

I sluggishly open up my bag. Grovyle and I wanted to save our supplies for the mystery dungeons by scavenging, but I _really_ don't have the energy to even attempt to look for something as common as even a geo pebble. I clumsily rummage through it until I find the ingredients for the salve that Luca would often use to treat our wounds. I never go anywhere without these ingredients. I slowly mix the ingredients before applying them to Grovyle's wounds. The long gashes look infected, and I hope that the pain of the salve disinfecting them doesn't wake him up. He's exhausted, and the last thing he needs is to wake up because of even more pain. I bite my lip nervously as I watch for any reactions to the salve treating his wounds. He doesn't move an inch; he is just that out of it.

When I finish applying the salve on him, I make a considerably smaller batch for myself and tend to my own wounds. Luckily, I have more bruises than cuts, so I am done quite quickly compared to Grovyle. I grab an apple and a chesto berry and find a suitable place to stand guard after I'm done. Even though I take a bite out of the berry every time I'm tired, staying up proves to a challenge. I start dozing off, and every small sound snaps me awake and gives me a small heart attack. That's probably the only reason I'm still awake.

Finally I hear a, "Aubrey! Where are you?" from Grovyle.

I stumble out of my hiding spot only to be thrown to the floor. I clumsily try to wiggle out from under my attacker, and I see a bit if green from the corner of my eye. After a moment, my attacker's weight is lifted off my body. Adrenaline kicks in, and I automatically spring to my feet and get into a fighting position. When I study my surroundings, all I see is Grovyle.

"Grovyle, where did the attacker go?" I ask warily.

"...You startled me," he replies somewhat hesitantly.

I sigh tiredly, and my adrenaline rush disappears, "And you attacked me. Okay, okay. Next time, I'll warn you."

Grovyle studies me intently before saying, "You're tired. Get some sleep; I'll keep watch for a while."

I smile gratefully at Grovyle as he guides me to where he slept and lays me down. I sink into a comfortable sleep...

...until I'm roughly shaken awake.

"Aubrey! Aubrey!" Grovyle whispers through clenched teeth.

"What's wrong?" I mumble sleepily.

"Listen!" Grovyle growls.

I shut my mouth and close my eyes. I hear a faint noise that gets a little louder after several moments. Straining my ears, I'm rewarded by a faint, "Weh-heh heh!"

"Shit!" I groan somewhat coherently. "We gotta go."

Grovyle silently nods and pulls me to my feet. I grab my bag, and we're off. Those damn sableye follow us for miles. My somewhat addled mind and tired body can hardly handle the strain, and we often have to create false trails for the sableye to follow in order to buy some time for rest. It's tedious work because after making the false trail we have to double back without creating a new trail for them to follow. It usually buys us just enough time for Grovyle to climb an apple tree to get us something to eat. Usually, the faint sound of the sableye cackling comes around just as we are packing up.

Despite every precaution we take, the sableye seem to always be getting closer. Even the fake trails cease to slow them down now. Their cackles seen to be right in my ear, and sometimes, I swear that I feel their claws scratching at the back of my legs. However, when I look back, there is nothing but dirt and trees behind me. My silver spike soon becomes a permanent accessory in my hand.

"Grovyle," I pant, "how much longer?"

Grovyle evenly replies, "Soon."

I pray to Arceus that he is right. We just need to duck into...yes! Over there!

"Grovyle...follow me!" I huff out.

I grab his arm and duck into a cave. I briefly experience the sensation of falling before the cave lights up. I give a sigh of relief; we are safe for now.

"What did you do?" Grovyle hisses with terribly concealed anger. "Why are we in a mystery dungeon?"

* * *

Yes! I got this update in before Saturday!

Grovyle: Just barely.

Shut up, Grovyle. I'm tired, and you aren't making me feel any better.

Grovyle: Nah. I'm tired and in a mystery dungeon, so you get to suffer too.

Okay…just hold this for a minute. AND DON'T LOOK INSIDE!

Grovyle: (takes box and looks inside) POISON DART FROGS?!

Poison dart frogs :( attack him)

Grovyle: SHIT!(Runs away)

Me, Kate, and Aubrey: Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Okay, I hope you enjoyed this installment of Armageddon: A Life Without Time! Don't forget to tip your waitresses on the way out!

Aubrey: She's really asking you guys to review. See you guys next week!

Kate: Maybe sooner if she gets enough reviews!


	14. Chapter 13

"The sableye are stupid," I state plainly. They'll follow us in, but mystery dungeons create different layouts for different groups. Plus, there are two entrances to this dungeon. If we are lucky, the sableye take the one that leads to the other side of the cave. We took the one that circles back to the entrance, so we can pick up right where we left off. Plus, we can _finally _rest for a moment."

"Mystery dungeons aren't safe!" Grovyle spits out. "How do you suppose we rest? And how do you know that we took the right path?"

I roll my eyes at him, "Luca must have been here before because his code is at the entrance. When it's cracked, it tells you the way that leads to the other side of the dungeon. He must have come here when he travelled with Mom because he doesn't like traveling through dungeons much anymore... Now he just uses-I mean used- that code to mark where we've been, where there is an ample amount of food, etc."

"So you're saying that you took a leap of faith just because you recognized the mutt's writing?" Grovyle snarls. "We are talking about the one who tried to kill us, right? Why in hell would you trust him, and _how the hell _did you crack that code at a glance?"

I chuckle nervously, "Well, his code is really simple...it's basically his paw prints. One of his paws is slightly bigger than the other, and he uses that as his code. In this case, the bigger paw stands for the actual dungeon while the smaller paw stands for the one that dumps you back at the starting point. If the big paw is on the left, the actual dungeon is on the left. If the big paw is on the right, the actual dungeon is on the right. Same with the small one."

"Didn't you think that maybe it WAS ANOTHER POKEMON?!" Grovyle bellows enraged.

I bite my lip. I _hadn't _thought of the possibility at all. There is a chance that it's another pokemon's paws, but there is also a very real chance that the prints were Luca's. Hopefully my memory of those markings weren't wrong, or else Grovyle is going to have my head. Then again, I'm almost positive those looked like Luca's paw prints. I mean; I didn't get that good of a look at them. Maybe they aren't his, but I still have to act like I know what I'm doing. If I don't, Grovyle is never going to trust any decisions I make.

"Can't you just trust my judgment?" I wonder aloud.

Grovyle glowers at me, "I would if you have good judgment."

I sigh making my exasperation apparent, "Fine. Be that way. _However_, if my plan is at all successful, you have to admit that I was right. Plus, you have to agree to actually trust me! The fact that you second guess my every move is infuriating! I didn't yell at you for being idiotic when you woke me up to flee from the sableye. I didn't ridicule the idea of creating fake trails despite the fact that I was dead on my feet and felt like every step I took was a mile. That is a two-way street! Do you want me to constantly make you feel like an idiot?"

"Maybe I wouldn't do that if-"

"No!" I cut him off. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, mister! Let's just get through this dungeon and see who's right!"

With that, I pick a random direction and march away. I hear Grovyle mumble incoherently behind me before jogging over to me to catch up. Together, we get through the dungeon easily. The pokemon in this dungeon are fairly weak, fainting with a well-placed quick attack or kick despite the fact that many of them are rock or ghost types. The dungeon itself is only five floors; that is hardly lengthy. Honestly, I can't believe a dungeon with split paths is this easy! At the end, we are just where we were when we entered the mystery dungeon. When I close my eyes and listen closely, I hear a distinct lack of cackling. I look to Grovyle expectantly.

He mumbles, "You were right..."

I smirk evilly, "I'm sorry, Grovyle, but I didn't hear that. What did you say?"

Grovyle glares at me and repeats, "You. Were. Right. Okay? I admit it. Now let's get moving."

I inwardly sigh in relief. My earlier bluff actually worked; now I just need to be a bit more careful in my decision making. That back there was purely luck, and the thought of relying on just luck is scary. Next time, my luck might run out. Pushing that scary thought out of my head, I allow myself to enjoy this little victory over Grovyle.

I grin happily and follow him as he walks away. Unfortunately, I'm still tired despite my euphoria at being "right." It's not long before I'm on Grovyle's back being lulled to sleep by the rhythmic motion of him walking. I'm out cold before long.

When I wake up, we are at the mouth of a cave with dull crystals decorating its entrance. I look to my left and see a shadow coming from up in the trees. My heart is filled with fear for a moment, but that quickly subsides. Luckily for me, I know this particular silhouette well at this point.

"Grovyle," I call out, "you want me to take over lookout duty?"

Grovyle shakes his head, "No thanks. I was waiting for you to wake up, so we could go inside. We got to Crystal Cave while you were sleeping."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I ask curiously.

Grovyle shrugs and doesn't answer. I look at him in confusion; he never gave a damn about waking me up before. Why change now? I finally shrug too. Maybe I shouldn't try to rationalize his thought process; it makes no sense.

"Provisions?" I ask suddenly remembering how much of our provisions we must have run through due to our encounter with the sableye.

"I scavenged what I could. I think we're good," Grovyle replies evenly.

I verify, "So we're good to go."

"Yep. Ready to go?"

My heart begins pounding. Will we find what we're looking for? Will I find my mother there investigating a similar lead? Will we have to leave empty handed? The anticipation is killing me; I am so excited!

"Let's do this, Grovyle."

* * *

Hey guys, we just broke 500 views for this story! I was thinking about ways to celebrate, and Q&A seemed to be like a good way to celebrate. Yes? No? If you agree, say so in your review along with a question (I kind of need a lot of those to make this work). If you disagree, say so, and offer another suggestion if you can. I really want to celebrate this because I personally just love this story. Anyway…

It only took thirteen chapters, but they are finally going into one of the dungeons with a time gear in it! But is the time gear still there? Will they find more than what they were looking for? I don't know; I haven't written that chapter yet.

Grovyle: BOO!

…Shut up, Grovyle.

Grovyle: You can't make me!

Hm….(grabs Grovyle from Reshiramgirl88's story) I think I'll just replace you. And so I don't mix the two of you up, my Grovyle is Thief, and Reshiramgirl's is just Grovyle.

Thief: You can't replace me!

Kate: (comes in) Hey, Grovyle! What are you doing here?

Grovyle: (shrugs) She got mad at Thief and is threatening to replace him…

Aubrey:…While she does that…

Kate/Aubrey/Grovyle: Review!

(Me and Thief fighting to the death in the background)


	15. Chapter 14

The pokemon in Crystal Cave are so strong! Bagon, riolu, and even more pokemon that are damn near impossible to fight keep attacking us! Grovyle and I have been fighting back to back in this dungeon ever since the first floor. Luckily, I managed to grab another silver spike, so now I can fight with two hands. It's miles different from fighting one-handedly, but I'm making it kind of somewhat work. In this dungeon, I have to. Luckily, we haven't run into any monster houses yet.

"Shit."

I just had to jinx it, didn't I? Not only is this room a monster house, but this is also the room with the stairs. This is just. My. Fucking. Luck. Every cell in my body screams at me to run, and I really wish that I could because this is a frightening position to be in. Nevertheless, I get into a fighting stance and ready myself for the onslaught. Even with an occasional assist from Grovyle, I can't seem to put a dent in the mass of pokemon that are pummeling us. Attacks abuse my body, and I get knocked down so many times that I contemplate just playing dead, but then I look at Grovyle. He is probably even more bruised than I am, but he is still standing strong. My respect for him has just grown by leaps and bounds. He is still fighting to keep us alive, so I always get up and fight as fiercely as I can whenever I'm knocked down.

Finally, my side of the room clears up. All there is now is a stubborn bagon. I brandish my remaining silver spike having lost the other one to a ruthless riolu earlier. He comes in close to try to use zen headbut, but I hit him with a round house kick before he can reach me. Then, he hits me with some unknown attack from behind. I get knocked onto my stomach from the impact, and my head hits the floor harshly. Black dots begin to fill my vision. I shut my eyes tightly as the bagon relentlessly rams into my body. Finally, I get a short reprieve from the pain. I've taken too many hits thus far, and I don't think I can take another one. I open my eyes a crack to find the black dots have nearly completely blocked my sight. My handicapped vision just barely allows me to see the bagon charging up what looks like a zen headbut to my own head. I can hardly move; my muscles are at their absolute limit. My one attempt to roll over and try to escape ends with me on my back and shooting pain running up and down the left half of my body. Blinking back tears, I await my death. I'm so sorry, Mom, Luca, and Jamie. I'm not coming home. I'm sorry, Celebi. I couldn't stay alive, and I can't keep Grovyle alive. I'm sorry, Vera. The mission is a bust. I'm...sorry, Grovyle. I'm just giving up and dying on you, and I can't do a damn thing about it. I hope you get back to your mom and Celebi.

"Aubrey!"

My vision goes black.

**AN: I was going to end it like this...but the chapter is way too short for that. **

When I wake up, I'm in an area that is more colorful than any other place I've ever seen. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen...Three giant crystals sprout up from the ground, one a light, nearly clear blue, another a bright, nearly obnoxiously so, green, and the other a pale, somewhat pink, purple. I stare at them in wonder. Is this the Hall of Origin or Heaven or wherever you go when you die?

"You're awake!" Grovyle's voice echoes about the area. "I thought you'd be out longer."

Oh. Grovyle's here. Wait. If he's here, then... oh Arceus he's dead too. Unable to control myself, I shrilly shriek, "HOW DARE YOU DIE TOO! Celebi is going to be heartbroken that the both of us are dead! She'll probably bring us back to life just to kill us! Why aren't you saying anything?! Aren't you at least a bit ashamed that we let Celebi down?!"

"...Why do you always think we are dead? It isn't funny," Grovyle deadpans.

"We...aren't dead? Of course we aren't! How could I think such a thing?" I chuckle sheepishly.

Grovyle just rolls his eyes at me, "Maybe the fact that you got knocked unconscious in a monster house full of murderous pokemon? Our fighting attracted a lot of attention, and other pokemon were coming to join in on the slaughter. We are damn lucky there was a luminous orb on the ground near us, or we would have been goners. How the hell I managed to find it, I'll never know..."

"Don't look a gift ponyta in the mouth, Grovyle!" I intone thankfully. "So where are we?"

"I think it's a dead end...All there is around here are three giant crystals. We can't go forward," Grovyle observes.

"That's a shame..." I sigh as I trail my hand along one of the crystals. "I think- Ugh!"

"Aubrey!"

A pounding headache explodes in my brain before my vision grows black. A moment later, a familiar white line slashes across my vision. I impatiently wait for whatever vision that has decided to grace me with its painful presence.

My vision is filled with luminous crystals that outshine even those in Crystal Cave. The cavern I'm in actually looks similar to the one my body is in...Then I realize it; I'm in the same room! This must have happened before the time freeze then...

I make out several figures, but I can't seem to see anything but their silhouettes. They look like pokemon though. One silhouette says something to the other before turning all of the crystals a light blue by touching them. In a bright flash of light, a huge crystal emerges in between the three original crystals, and it has an opening in it! The silhouettes venture into the opening before my vision fades away into black.

I open my eyes to see Grovyle hovering over me with worry written all over his face. When he sees I'm awake, he slaps me across the face. The stinging pain registers in my mind before the fact that he actually just did that does.

"What was that for?" I grumble. "I couldn't have done anything wrong this time!"

"For fainting at the worst possible time. You just got attacked and lost a lot of blood; you really shouldn't be unconscious right now."

"Wasn't I just unconscious a few minutes ago? Ugh...Well...I was going to tell you something important that I saw in my vision, but I just changed my mind!" I groan. "I think I'll wait until I'm allowed to sleep again!"

"Aubrey..." Grovyle growls irritated. "You had a vision. Spill what happened!"

I sigh to myself and decide to just show him. Calmly walking over to the bright green large crystal, I gingerly tap it with my finger. True to my vision, it turns a different color. Now, it's orange. I tap it several more times until it turns the same light blue as the crystal across from it. I then do the same to the amethyst crystal. When they are all the same color, beams of energy shoot out from each crystal, meeting in the middle of the triangle they form. Grovyle pulls me back as the blinding white light flashes accompanied by a groaning sound. When the light fades away, a huge crystal with a gaping hole in it is in the place the triangle of crystals was. I turn around to look at Grovyle's stunned expression; his jaw is practically on the floor! He is positively gobsmacked!

"Pick your jaw up off the floor so we can go, Grovyle!" I laugh lightly. "We won't learn anything just standing around here!"

Grovyle snaps his mouth closed and glares at me. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I think I saw something else there too. Playfulness? Friendship? I honestly don't know. He turns away before I can study it more and walks to the gaping hole. I follow him in knowing that this trip just got so much more interesting...

...Maybe not. The dungeon we walked into is pathetically similar to Crystal Cave. The only difference is the difficulty level. It is _harder _than Crystal Cave. After the third floor, we find a little alcove and hide in it to rest; we are just completely spent.

"I can't go on!" I gasp out. "Those pokemon are freaking monsters! And I thought that last dungeon was tough!"

"What choice do we have? We have a mission to complete, and we are so close!" Grovyle sighs. "If only we could just avoid the fights..."

An idea dawns on me. Maybe we can avoid all of those pokemon!

"Grovyle! Do we have any pure seeds? Foe-fear orbs?" I ask excitedly.

"No. I wish it were that easy. Next time I go on a mission, I'll have to remember to get some..."

I bemoan our situation. We really aren't going to make it through this damned cave, and we are so close to cracking the mystery of this place. I look up at Grovyle to see how he is taking it, but he looks like the meowth that ate the chatot! Why is he acting so happy? We practically failed this mission, and it's my very first mission!

"We can use dig to get through to the end of the dungeon!" he blurts out.

"I thought that dig acts like an escape orb," I comment. "Won't it just take us to the entrance?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Touché."

As it turns out, his plan ends up working. We move through the dungeon at a swift pace without battling a single pokemon. At last, we reach a floor with a lake that takes up most of the cavern. This must be where the Time Gear is! I glance at Grovyle who seems to have the same idea, and we rush to a strip of land that seems to act as a bridge between the main part of the floor and a small circle of land farther into the lake.

"H-Halt!"

* * *

So they are finally at the lake. What will the duo find there? Anyway, I'm putting the Q&A down here in the AN because someone mentioned to me that I can be reported for making a chapter out of it… So without further adieu, here are the answers to your questions!

1. Was Grovyle dropped as an egg?

Grovyle: I find that very offensive.

Vera: Well…he might've been…

Grovyle: What?!

Vera: I'm just kidding, dear. Mostly…

Grovyle:….Next question!

2. So...they are searching for all the Time Gears so they can pinpoint them when they make their way to the past?

Aubrey: Huh? Going back to the past? I thought we were collecting the remains of the time gears to study them.

Grovyle: Yeah, my mom wants to see if we can use them to correct time **now**, but that would be a good plan B…

Aubrey: But what would happen to us if we changed the course of history?

Grovyle: I'm not exactly sure…

Aubrey: We'd die, wouldn't we?

Grovyle:…

3. Is Dusknoir gonna make a reappearance?

Dusknoir: Capturing members of the PIT is a priority. Grovyle and Vera have evaded capture for far too long, and that human cannot be ignored either….

4. Grovyle, what do you think of Celebi?

Grovyle: (shrugs) She's powerful, hyper, kind of emotional, and a good friend. Why do you ask?

5. Why'd Luca lose his cool?

Luca: The PIT recruited my closest friends and left Aubrey without half her family in one fell swoop. I didn't want to lose Aubrey too…I'm just sorry that I hurt Aubrey in my fit of rage…

Yeah, not too many questions. It was pretty fun for me to write though especially the one about Grovyle being dropped as an egg.

Grovyle: (grumble)

I hope you guys enjoyed! Please review and tell me what you think!


	16. Chapter 15

Grovyle and I immediately get into battle positions when we hear the voice, but I can't help but think that I've heard this particular voice before. I don't feel like I've met them before though...I'm sure I would've remembered. It feels more like we met in a dream or maybe a long time ago...Wait...a dream? Or maybe...a vision? I have never met the people or pokemon that I have visions about, but this voice…It sounds exactly like...

"Azelf?" I call out tentatively. "Are you Azelf?"

"...You seem well informed for a human; I am indeed Azelf. Not many pokemon know of even my very existence. If I may be so bold, would you please walk to the island in the middle of the lake? Your presence is very faint; I can barely feel it," Azelf says with a hint of surprise coloring his voice.

"No! We are staying here! Why don't you show yourself?" Grovyle snarls threateningly. "If you're actually the legendary Azelf, you should have no problem with it."

"...I wish I could. I'm afraid that my body has been unable to move since time stopped. My mind just barely survived the freeze, but I am stuck in an immobile body. If you would look at the end of that bridge of land, you will see my unmoving body."

Surely enough, I can make out a shape on the island if I squint. I can kind of make out a blue hat-like cone on the figure's head. My eyes widen; there is no doubt in my mind now. That must be the lake trio's Azelf. My wide eyes turn to Grovyle who still doesn't seem convinced. If anything, he is unimpressed with the entire situation. I sigh and step around him to approach the island that Azelf's prone form is stuck on, but my traveling partner lays a restraining hand on my arm.

"Are you insane? This is just a trap, human!" he hisses lowly.

Ignoring the fact that he called me human, I plead, "Grovyle, I know that voice and that figure! That is the Azelf that I saw in my vision when I touched the crystal Vera had. Let me go talk to him! Please trust me on this!"

"Are you so adamant about waltzing into danger? That will make three times this trip alone!" he growls.

"Three times!" I shriek indignantly. "How do you figure that?"

"One: Running after the sableye. Two: Dragging us into a mystery dungeon on the off chance your dog had visited the place before. Three: THIS!" he lists while clenching his teeth.

"One: Doing that saved your life. Two: That saved OUR lives. Three: Have you ever even seen or heard Azelf before? That voice sounds exactly like him!" I retort.

Grovyle snorts, "One: All you did was distract the sableye and get yourself hurt. Two: That was just dumb luck. Three: It can STILL be a trap, you gullible human!"

"Once again, how can it be a trap?"

"Most pokemon whose bodies were caught during the freeze died!"

That statement catches my attention in more than one way. Did I not have a vision not too long ago with Dialga explaining the effect of the time gear on Azelf's life? If I remember correctly, Dialga explicitly said that the time gear has a direct link to Azelf's life!

"Y-you sh-shouldn't be alive right now!" I stutter out as I come to that realization. "The t-time gear-"

"Is still here if that's what you're worried about. Time's halt didn't kill me because my time gear never left its altar. In hindsight, that probably wasn't the wisest course of action..."

I chew on the inside of my cheek thoughtfully. The time gear is supposed to be directly linked to Azelf's life, so should he be alive now that the thing is essentially useless until someone manages to restore time? Maybe Grovyle is right…maybe this guy is a phony trying to lure us into a trap. Maybe the best course of action for us is to just cut our losses and go home…But there is still a chance that that _is _the real Azelf! Should I take the risk, or is it unwise to do that? This is the only possible lead that we have to the location of any of the time gears and information on them, and turning back now means possibly losing it forever. While I can't say for sure that I trust "Azelf," I also can't pass up this opportunity. This could be our one shot! Can we really just turn back now? Besides, I wouldn't be so indecisive if Grovyle hadn't put all of these doubts in my head! Then again, Grovyle is only looking out for our well being…He's been doing missions like this longer than I have; I'm sure.

Now feeling extremely conflicted, I turn to my partner, "Grovyle, I don't know what to do! There's so many 'what ifs!'"

Grovyle critically examines the tiny island and the silhouette on it for a long while before finally sighing in defeat, "Cover me."

"What?"

"Cover me while I investigate!" he repeats impatiently.

"O-okay!" If you say so...

Together, we cautiously move towards the island.

* * *

…Yeah I know this is a short chapter, but it's also kind of just the transition to actually stepping on the island. After all, did you really think Grovyle would make this an easy decision? Anyway, after next week, posts are going to be slower because of school, so I'm just going to apologize for that in advance.

Grovyle: No one cares.

Aubrey! Kate! I told you to keep him away from here until I was finished!

Aubrey: It's not our fault!

Kate: He just completely killed our chainsaws!

Fine…anyway I hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter, and please review!


	17. Chapter 16

Azelf stays quiet as we cross the strip of land. Perhaps he felt that words would be meaningless to us, or perhaps there is just nothing to say. I don't know or care. Right now, my top priority is being ready for any possible attack, and I shouldn't be worrying about why a pokemon is being silent! Then, I hear it. It's faint; it would've been undetectable had the cavern not been nearly silent.

"Weh-heh-heh!"

"G-Grovyle!" I whisper in panic. "Please tell me I'm hallucinating!"

"You aren't. I heard them too," Grovyle replies evenly.

Azelf's voice reverberates through the area, "What are you two whispering about?"

I look at him incredulously, "You seriously don't hear the sableye?"

"Sableye?" Azelf asks curiously. "As far as I know, sableye don't live in Crystal Cave..."

"Weh-heh-heh!" It's getting louder...

Grovyle growls lowly, "Keep an eye out for the sableye; we are going to cross this bridge so they can't surround us."

I obey him immediately and start walking backwards hoping that his plan will work. We aren't exactly in top form after all of those fights, and our last fight with the sableye didn't exactly end with us walking away without a scratch! Back then, we were practically in top form. I'm dreading this confrontation...

"Weh-heh-heh!"

They are getting really close now! Their cackles are steadily getting louder; it won't be long until they're in the cavern. Grovyle and I are almost at the island; hopefully the sableye won't get here before we get to the island. If Grovyle's plan doesn't work and they somehow surround us…

"Weh-heh-heh!" They're here!

"Grovyle!" I whisper hysterically.

"Human, Grovyle, I suggest you two surrender while you can," a familiar voice says.

Oh Arceus...Please don't let that voice belong to who I think it does...I slowly turn around, and sure enough, I'm right. Standing where Azelf's prone form lies is none other than the infamous Dusknoir. He looks even more intimidating then I remember. Then again, last time I saw him, his malicious glare wasn't trained on me; it had been on Vera and Grovyle. Now, his full attention is on me, and I wish it wasn't. Something in his red eye just makes me want to run away as far away from as him as I possibly can and then run another ten miles just to be safe. If the sableye weren't currently cutting off my only route of escape, I'd be making good on that thought right now. Unfortunately, Grovyle and I are surrounded without a hope of escape.

"As if I would ever surrender!" Grovyle snaps angrily.

I look at Grovyle in admiration. It seems that no matter what, he just pushes on. I mean; look at the situation we're in! We are on a strip of land surrounded by water with Dusknoir and a band of what looks like five sableye cutting off our escape routes. There is such a slim chance of us actually getting out of this mess, but Grovyle is just glaring at Dusknoir and sneering! Seeing that makes me want to fight too. It makes me want to fight tooth and nail until we are free to walk away. In that moment, my face mirrors his as it hardens into a mask of determination. If he isn't surrendering, neither am I!

"Grovyle, do you and your human friend really believe that you will come out of this without becoming prisoners? If you simply surrender and tell me what I want about the Planetary Investigation Team, I will let you and your friend go with just a warning," Dusknoir suggests diplomatically.

"As if we'd tell you a thing!" I sneer at the ghost.

"Fine," Dusknoir sighs, "I suppose we are doing this the hard way."

With that, Dusknoir sends a dark pulse our way. In my haste to avoid the attack, I end up falling into the water. Dusknoir and the sableye seem to dismiss me in that moment, and I take the opportunity to survey the area for anything that could possibly help. A small glint catches my attention. Maybe it could possibly be a weapon? I dive underwater so that I can remain undetected while I swim to the object.

When I reach the object in question, I'm stunned. It is a hue of blue that I've never seen before in my life, and it looks positively ancient. Could this be a time gear? It certainly seems to fit the brief description Vera gave me before seeing Grovyle and me off...I reach out to grab it, and a very familiar pain makes itself known as my fingers brush its surface. Not a moment later, my vision goes black.

_(Vision Start)_

_A gasping figure lies on the little island in Crystal Cave's lake. Upon further inspection, I realize that the figure is none other than Azelf. He lies on the ground for a few seconds before feebly floating up to approach a shining object in the middle of the lake. He's exactly where I was before I lost consciousness._

_"Dialga..." Azelf whispers sadly. "What's happening? The time gear has lost its ability to keep time, and now the entire area is taking my own energy to keep time flowing...I thought that this was only to happen if I removed the time gear from its rightful place!" A pained groan escapes from his mouth. "You said that the time gear was perfectly safe here! That's obviously not the truth! I wish that I could travel to Temporal Tower to confront you, but I'm far too weak at this point. Even though the time gear has stopped working completely just this morning, I find myself completely drained...Mesprit..." A choked sob rips from his throat. "Mesprit couldn't handle it, and she passed just hour ago. I know Uxie is having an awful time trying to stay alive for our domains too. Please fix this, Dialga. I'm begging you!"_

_Right before my eyes, Azelf begins sobbing. I stare in disbelief at the broken legendary. Knowing that time freezing ruined lives is one thing, but it's another thing to actually see it. Whether Azelf is mourning Mesprit's life or his own, I find my heart breaking as I watch him. This is no doubt his last hour of life, and he is begging to be saved. I already know the ending of this story, but my eyes don't leave the haunting scene in front of me. Azelf trudges over to his island before collapsing in absolute agony. His heart-wrenching sobs forces a few tears to come to my eyes, and I unconsciously wipe them._

_"Well, Dialga," Azelf sniffles bitterly, "I hope you know what you're doing up there. Arceus is going to kill you if whatever you're doing here ends up badly." Azelf turns to the time gear's altar. "I guess I really wasn't fit for the task I was given. In the end, I couldn't save my domain from time's freezing. I hope that one day, I'll be forgiven for failing..."_

_For a few moments, everything is quiet. Then, I see Azelf stop breathing, and all hell breaks loose. A vicious wind whips through the cave, and screams can be heard from the caverns that lead to the lake. An ominous black cloud sweeps over the cavern, silencing those screams. It's all done in the blink of an eye, and I'm greeted to the sight of the dulled cave and lake that I saw when I walked in with Grovyle earlier. The time freeze has taken Crystal Cave._

_My vision goes black again._

_(Vision End)_

When I wake up, I'm floating in the lake with the time gear clutched in my hand. I stare at it in shock; I just can't shake off the shock of what I just saw...

"Ack!" Grovyle shouts as he's nailed by Dusknoir's shadowball.

That immediately snaps my out of my shocked state. I can dwell on what just happened later; Grovyle needs to be my priority right now. Since all of the attention is on Grovyle, I take a moment to rummage through my bag. It may have gotten wet, but orbs don't stop working if they're wet, right? I hope so because they're our only hope at this point. Finding a random orb, I decide to take a gamble and swim closer. When I'm next to Grovyle, my hand shoots out from the water, and my fingers wrap around his ankle. My other hand smashes the orb while keeping a tight hold on the time gear. I experience a spinning sensation before my feet hit solid ground. It's official; Escape Orbs are life savers.

We rest for just a moment to get our bearings before we set off once again. There's no time to show him the time gear; there was barely time to eat an oran berry to keep up our strength. We need to keep moving. With both Dusknoir and the sableye on our tails, it's the only thing we can do.

* * *

So…yeah. Last update before school starts, so you guys know I won't be updating as often after this.

Grovyle: Hallelujah!

…Hey, Grovyle, a reviewer of mine wanted to give you a gift.

Grovyle: *rolls eyes* Of course she did. What do I get?

Aubrey, please show Grovyle his gift.

Aubrey: Okay! *pushes him into a torture chamber* Have fun in there!

5 Minutes later…

Grovyle: *walks out with almost no injuries* Bitch please.

DO YOU EVER DIE?!

Grovyle: No. *smirks*

Why do I even bother? *sigh* Well I hope you guys enjoyed, and please review on your way out!

Aubrey: Yeah, we need new ways to kill Grovyle…


End file.
